Carnival Town
by Joe's girl
Summary: When Jack ends his relationship with Kate neither of them realizes that their lives will be forever entwined. Lots of Tony & Michelle for you TM fans! Opens at the beginning of season 3. Title inspired by a Norah Jones song. Read & review
1. Starting Over

_Disclaimer: The usual stuff. I don't own 24 or it's characters, yadda, yadda, yadda…The title isn't original either. I took that from a Norah Jones' song. (I would provide the lyrics but I understand that I can't do that. I'm sure you can find them on line if you are interested.) Every time I hear the song it reminds me of Jack._

CARNIVAL TOWN(Title inspired by a Norah Jones song)

Chapter 1: Starting Over

**Season 3, Day 1, 1:15pm**

Jack and Chase were driving back to CTU when Jack's phone rang.

"This is Bauer." He answered.

"Jack, it's Chloe. I have Kate Warner for you. Should I put her through?"

"Ah… yeah, put her through." Jack heard himself say. He didn't want to talk to Kate right now. It was taking all of his concentration to drive and attempt to cover his withdrawal symptoms from Chase, something he wasn't doing very successfully. Kate was a distraction he didn't need at this moment. He just didn't know how to tell Chloe not to put the call through. If it were Michelle, or someone more tactful, he would ask them to make some excuse or tell Kate he would call her back later. But coming from Chloe, Jack knew it would sound like just that, an excuse.

"Jack?"

"Hi, Kate." He said so softly that it was almost imperceptible.

"I just wanted to let you know I found that leather jacket you thought you lost." Jack closed his eyes for a second when he heard her voice. He loved her so much. He hated hurting her like this.

"Oh… ah… Okay, great." Now that was a brilliant line, he thought.

"So … ah …What do you want to do? I could bring it over or send it." Kate was obviously having as much trouble finding words as he was.

"No, you don't have to do that. Look, I'll just send someone over to pick it up." He offered.

"You sure?" Kate asked. There was a long pause. That clearly wasn't the answer she wanted. It wasn't the answer he wanted to give her either. He wanted to say, I'll pick it up later. But he knew if he went to Kate's house, if he saw her again, that all of his resolve would crumble. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and look at her beautiful face. He wanted all of the pain to go away. He wanted the heroin addiction to be a bad dream and CTU to never exist. He wanted to forget Teri and Nina and the Salazars. God, he needed a fix.

"Yeah." Another brilliant answer.

"Ok then" was all Kate could come up with. For two intelligent people, they certainly had been reduced to some childish conversation.

"Kate," Jack paused. "How are you?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice. He never wanted to hurt her. Never. But causing her pain now would save her from a lifetime of grief that would come from a relationship with him, he told himself. Look what it did to Teri and how he had hurt Kim over the years.

"You know, it's hard." Kate paused looking for the right words to say. She finally said the only one's she could think of. "I miss you." She missed him more than she could possibly articulate. She had never loved anyone like she loved Jack. He was so different from other men. He was so intense in all aspects of his life. He immersed himself in whatever he was doing at any given minute. If he was at work, he was totally focused on the task at hand. If they were making dinner together, he was totally focused on cutting and stirring and cleaning up. If they were making love, he was totally focused on her. And although she knew that his leaving was not a rejection of her, but rather his own inability to separate his personal and professional lives, it didn't make her miss him any less.

"I'm really, really sorry." Was all Jack could say and he meant that with all of his heart. He only wished those words had the power to make Kate feel better, or even make himself feel better.

"Don't be." Kate said.

She was so understanding, he thought. How could she even suggest that he not be sorry? Shouldn't she be screaming at him? Shouldn't she hate him? Somehow he thought it might be easier if she would. Stop making me love you, he thought. "Take care of yourself, Kate." He hung up. There was nothing more to say.

Kate listened to the silence on the other end of the phone. She hadn't even really said goodbye. She put the phone back in her bag and walked the two blocks back to her office. As she walked past her secretary, Kate told her that she didn't want to be disturbed. This was going to be a wasted afternoon and Kate knew it. She dropped into her desk chair as if exhausted. She was exhausted, not physically, but mentally. She buried her head in her hands. Not to cry, as she had done so often in the five months since Jack left, but to think. It was time to start over; time to acknowledge that even if Jack did love her, as she knew he did, he didn't want a relationship with her and he wasn't coming back.

Kate raised her head as she heard a knock at the door. She didn't want to be disturbed, but she recognized the cadence of the knock immediately; it was her father. "Come in, Dad." She called.

Bob Warner opened the door about a foot and peeked in. "Need to talk?" he asked.

Kate smiled. She could always count on her Dad. He was all she had right now, all she could count on. She filled the same role in his life. They both wished they could somehow go back to the quiet family life they had lived for so many years. A time before Kate's mother died, before Marie got involved with terrorists. They had been such a happy family. Now Kate and her father clung to each other for support.

"Did you talk to Jack?" Bob Warner asked his daughter.

"Yeah, I told him I had his jacket. He said he would send someone to pick it up."

"That was it? So, you didn't tell him."

"Dad, Jack made it pretty clear that he didn't want to see me, didn't want anything to do with me. What was I supposed to say? 'By the way, Jack, I thought you might like to know that I'm five months pregnant with your child. Have a nice day.'"

"Kate, I never said this would be easy, but he deserves to know."

"Why? So he can feel guilty and come back. He doesn't want me, Dad" She was beginning to lose control. Tears were filling her eyes and she started stammering. She got up from her chair and began to pace. "I don't want him back out of some misguided sense of responsibility. I only want him back if he wants to have a relationship, a real relationship. This baby and I are not going to play second fiddle to CTU." She stroked her abdomen protectively. "I did that for two and a half years and it wasn't any fun. I gave him my heart and when he could find time for me, when he could fit me in, when there wasn't some national crisis that demanded the attention of the almighty Jack Bauer, he would suddenly remember that we had a relationship and act like I should drop everything for him."

Kate knew that this was in no way a fair characterization of their relationship. Jack had been very loving and attentive. His job was just so demanding and he allowed it to be. He wasn't like Tony, she thought, who could close the door and go home with Michelle and forget CTU. Even that wasn't totally true and she knew it. She told Michelle one day over lunch that she was afraid that Jack was seeing someone else. He was so distant and never home. Michelle smiled a knowing smile and took a long, slow drink from her margarita. Yes, Michelle said, Jack has a mistress, so does Tony and so does every man in their office. Her name is CTU and she is a very jealous and demanding mistress. You just have to get used to it. Kate knew Michelle and Tony had a difficult relationship. They obviously loved each other very much, but even Michelle admitted that they fought too much. They only argued over one thing: CTU. Michelle had thought about leaving the job, but she wasn't sure what she would do. She wanted to start her own computer business, but between start up costs and not making a real profit for a year or more, they simply could not make it on Tony's salary. Even as CTU director he wasn't making enough for them to continue living in the suburbs of LA. Besides, Tony wouldn't leave CTU and at least this way, she saw him at work, because he was rarely home.

Bob stood and walked over to Kate. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Any sense of responsibility that Jack would feel toward this baby is hardly misguided." He said gently. "Kate, things have changed since I was your age, but one thing hasn't changed: it took both of you to make this baby. Whether that was your intention or not, it happened and Jack needs to know. The baby deserves to know his or her father regardless of the role Jack plays in the child's life. Kate, I love you and I will stand by any decision that you make. But in this case, I think you are wrong." He kissed her forehead and turned to walk away.

"Dad," Kate said turning toward the window and the beautiful view of Los Angeles. "I've made another decision. You need someone to run the office in Seattle. I'd like the job."

"You want to run Seattle?" Bob said surprised at his daughter's revelation.

"I'm qualified for the job and you really don't have any candidates."

"Qualified? You're over-qualified. Kate, you're vice president of the company. Seattle is small potatoes. It's our smallest branch. You don't want to run the Seattle office, you want to run away."

"That's not fair, Dad. I'm not running away. I'm starting over and I can't do that in LA. Besides, I'll be able to work regular hours at that office, maybe even work some days from home. The job won't be as demanding as what I'm doing now. That will be better for me once the baby comes."

Bob sighed, resigned to the fact that none of this was going as he had planned and he really was powerless to change it. "If you want the job, it's yours. I'm going to miss you here."

Kate turned and walked toward her father. "Thanks, Dad." She said as she hugged him. Although she had done a good job of hiding the pregnancy under her clothes, he could feel that she was no longer the rail thin daughter he had hugged so many times. "Seattle's not that far. You can fly up to see me any time."


	2. Something Isn't Right

Chapter 2: Something isn't right  
  
**Season 3: Day 1, 3:30pm  
**  
Kate sat at her desk and tried to work, but it was useless. She might as well just leave now and beat the rush hour traffic. Anyway, she wanted to stop at the mall not far from her house. A new maternity store had just opened up there and she needed some clothes. She was 20 weeks pregnant now and was rapidly growing out of even her biggest clothes. It was time to invest in some maternity clothes.  
  
She said good night to her secretary and left thinking about getting doing some serious shopping and getting dinner at the mall. She turned on the radio but after checking several different stations gave up trying to find one that would fit her mood. There isn't anything to fit this mood, she thought. Driving in silence, her mind began to wander. It always wandered to the same place...Jack.  
  
She had met Jack at the most vulnerable time in her life. He had saved her life three times in the same day and who could blame her for seeing him as her knight in shining armor. He could shout orders and plan strategy and shoot the bad guys and then turn to her and ask if she was okay or take a second to hold her and tell her none of the bad things that were happening were her fault. He was there for her when she was afraid to go to sleep at night for fear of the nightmares that haunted her for months after that day. He was there for her during Marie's trial. Even when he testified against Marie, he told Kate how sorry he was but he had to do it. Kate understood. She had no loyalty to Marie any more not after Marie held a gun to her head.  
  
Of course, she was there for him too. Who did he call when Kim was in trouble? When he was in the hospital, she was right there waiting with Kim. When it was time for him to go home, she refused to let him go back to his dingy little apartment. She took him home to her house. He could recuperate in comfort there, sit on the patio near the pool, just relax and get well. Kim was there a lot. She was living with a girlfriend, but would stay with her father during the day while Kate was at work. She often made dinner and the three of them ate together when Kate got home. Kate and Kim got along well, very much like sisters. Bob Warner came over a couple of nights a week, as well. He and Jack became fast friends. Bob couldn't thank Jack enough for saving Kate's life. For all intents and purposes, Bob had lost Marie and felt he couldn't have gone on if he had lost Kate, too.  
  
Kate and Jack enjoyed that time together. They talked and laughed and got to know each other. Jack opened up to Kate like no one else he had ever known. He was amazed at how well she understood him. When Kate awoke screaming from nightmares, Jack ran to her room to calm her. He held her until she fell asleep again, then either returned to his own room or fell asleep next to her, but the relationship was not intimate.  
  
It was eight weeks before Jack was cleared to return to work at CTU. Tony had asked him to take a newly created position as Director of Field Operations. He liked the idea and accepted the offer. He decided that since he was well enough to return to work, he should move back to his own apartment. Although they talked almost every day, Kate missed having him around. Most of all she missed having him to help her though the nightmares.  
  
She did have one thing to look forward to, though. She had asked Jack to be her escort at a black tie dinner that the LA Businessmen's Association was having the next week. Kate usually hated these dinners and went only because she was the organization's treasurer and felt obliged to go, but this year she couldn't wait.  
  
Kate was so excited that she could barely get dressed for the dinner. She had had her hair and nails done that afternoon. All she had to do was put on makeup and her dress, but her hands were shaking so badly it was nearly impossible. She had just zipped her strapless black dress when the doorbell rang. She ran down the stairs carrying her shoes in her hand, she was so nervous that she was afraid she would trip in the heels on the stairs. She stepped into the shoes at the bottom of the stairs, smoothed her hair and dress and opened the door for Jack. He looked so handsome in his tux that it left her breathless. For his part, he seemed to be equally impressed with how she looked. She knew she blushed when he complimented her.  
  
The dinner was boring as it was every year, but this year was different for Kate and she floated through the evening on a cloud. It was just before midnight when they got back to Kate's house. She invited Jack in for coffee. He took off his jacket and tie and opened the collar of his shirt while the coffee brewed. They sat on the sofa drinking coffee and talking for a long time before Jack said he had to go home. Kate hated to see him go and had secretly hoped he would consider spending the night since it was almost 2am. They walked to the door and Jack leaned forward to give her a goodnight kiss. Their lips brushed lightly and Jack turned to leave. He stopped, his hand on the doorknob.  
  
"Kate" he said in that husky whisper that she loved. "I'd like to stay."  
  
She smiled and closed her eyes. She knew exactly what he meant. "I want you to stay, Jack." She answered.  
  
He turned and took her in his arms. They kissed deeply, passionately. These were the kisses that they had both wanted for weeks. All of those nights Kate had awoken with nightmares and Jack had held her, she silently hoped he would kiss her, make love to her. She knew she had fallen in love with him.  
  
The next thing she knew, they were in her bedroom. She only vaguely remembered leading him up the stairs, turning toward him more than once to steal another kiss. They undressed each other and fell onto the bed. He was the most tender lover she had ever had. She never remembered being as happy as when she woke up the next morning in Jack's arms. They ate breakfast by the pool and somehow ended up skinny dipping. She remembered giggling like a child as she wrapped her arms and legs around him and they kissed.  
  
Jack moved back into Kate's house within the week. He finally got rid of his own apartment, thus making this move more permanent. Everything was great at first. Jack was working regular hours and was home by 6 o'clock every night. As the months passed, he started working more and more hours and sending himself out on some of the field assignments. Kate hated when he was on an assignment. She worried about him constantly.  
  
They had been together well over a year when Jack went undercover on a new assignment. Kate didn't know he was infiltrating the Salazar drug cartel. His personality changed, he became distant and was rarely home. Sometimes he left for a week at a time. When he did come home, it was usually late and he would sleep on the couch or the guest room so as not to disturb her. When they were together one morning for breakfast, Kate tried to talk to him about it. When would this assignment end? she asked. Why was he so distant, pushing her away? Jack couldn't or wouldn't answer. He told her coolly that this was part of the job and if she wanted him she would have to live with it. He could move out it she preferred. She assured him that moving out was not what she wanted.  
  
Kate was becoming more and more disenchanted with their relationship. They hadn't made love in months and in a fit of anger one night, she threw away her birth control pills. Why take them when she didn't need them. She certainly couldn't get pregnant if they weren't even having sex, she thought wryly.  
  
Kate had just stepped out of the shower one night when she heard Jack coming up the stairs. She wrapped her robe around her and walked into their bedroom. "Jack, what are you doing here?" She asked.  
  
"I thought I lived here." He answered defensively.  
  
"You do, Sweetheart." She said softening her tone. "I just mean, that you aren't usually home this early."  
  
"I'm sorry" he whispered. "I know I've been neglecting you. I'm sorry. I love you, Kate. It's just this job..."  
  
"I'm sick of your job, Jack" Kate said raising her voice. "I want you back."  
  
They moved toward each other eagerly and began to kiss. They were hard, passionate, hungry kisses. Jack took off her robe and pushed her gently but insistently to the bed. She opened his belt and his pants and he took them off and climbed on top of her not even bothering to remove his shirt. They didn't waste time with foreplay. This wasn't about love nearly as much as it was about sex; raw, lusty sex between two people who were starved for physical contact with each other. They both cried out loudly with each thrust. Their climax did not seem to slow them down. They continued to kiss roughly and Kate raked her nails up Jack's back. She knew how aroused he was as she pushed him to his back and took control. They continued until they were both exhausted. Kate fell into a deep dreamless sleep.  
  
It was still dark when Kate awoke. Moonlight was spilling into the room through the open French door that led to the balcony. Jack was standing just outside the door smoking a cigarette, something he had started to do during his current undercover assignment. Kate watched the smoke drift lazily across the balcony, away from the house, on a soft breeze. She reached up and touched her lips, they felt tender and pulpy. She winced as she stood up. It had been a long time since they had made love and tonight had left her feeling sore and bruised.  
  
Jack looked up as she took a careful step toward him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so rough. There was no excuse for that. I'm really sorry, Kate. I shouldn't have come home tonight."  
  
"No, Jack, I would have stopped you if I didn't want it that way, too. Don't apologize."  
  
They were silent for a long time. Kate finally spoke. "You're leaving me, aren't you, Jack." It was a statement rather than a question.  
  
"I'm doing deep cover work, Kate. I will be gone for months and I will only contact CTU every couple of weeks. I can't get in touch with you or Kim or anyone else. Its part of the job, Kate, I don't have a choice."  
  
"That's bullshit, Jack and you know it!" Kate said pointedly. "You are the Director of Field Ops. You don't have to go on assignment. You can make someone else go. You could easily assign Chase to go. You are going because you want to, because you haven't grown up, because you need to prove something to yourself."  
  
"I never meant it to end this way, Kate. I love you so much..."  
  
"I believe you love me, Jack." Kate said quietly, "but you will never love me as much as you love CTU." She suspected that that last remark stung. Jack averted his gaze, unable to look at her. She turned and walked through the bedroom and into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and stepped into the hottest water she could stand. She wasn't sure why. She wanted to wash him off of her: his touch, his kisses, his warmth. When she came out of the bathroom, he was gone.  
  
Jack moved out the next day while Kate was at work and left his house key on her nightstand. She spoke with Kim a couple of weeks later. Kim didn't know her father's location, but Tony or Michelle called her every week or so to let her know he was alright. She was finishing up junior college in the next few weeks and had taken a job at CTU. She hoped to be able to keep closer tabs on her father. Kate suspected that Jack arranged the job to keep a closer eye on Kim. "By the way, "Kim said, "before he left, my Dad said he was missing a leather jacket. He thinks he lost it, but it might be at your place. If you find it, let me know, I'll pick it up." Kate had found the jacket a day or two after Jack moved out. She tried to call him but he didn't answer and she didn't feel like leaving a message. For now she would keep the jacket, maybe he would come back for it some day.  
  
It was eight weeks before Kate realized that she was pregnant. She was so upset about losing Jack that she didn't notice that she had missed two periods. It wasn't until she spent three consecutive mornings in the bathroom throwing up until she was dizzy, that it dawned on her that this might be morning sickness. She realized that she hadn't had a period since before Jack left. Her head was spinning. She couldn't be pregnant, she thought. Kate called her father and told him she didn't feel well and wouldn't be in to work that day. Then she went to the nearest pharmacy for a pregnancy test kit.  
  
She held her breath, praying for the test to be negative but was forced to watch as the stripe on the test strip turned blue. Yes, she was pregnant. She staggered out of the bathroom and grabbed her phone. She had to call Jack. As she dialed his number at CTU, she remembered that he wasn't there. She hung us realizing that she had no way to contact him. Only immediate family could get messages through the CTU director to a deep cover agent. Even then, only urgent messages such as illnesses or deaths in the family were considered important enough to risk blowing the agent's cover and possibly risking his life. Even if she were his wife, Tony would not have agreed to contact Jack to tell him that she was pregnant.  
  
She dropped to the bed trying to figure out what she should do. She had to face the fact that even if Jack knew about the baby, it may not change their relationship. The truth was, she didn't even know if she wanted Jack back in her life. She loved him, that she was sure of, but it would be more of the same as long as he worked at CTU. What role did she want him to play in the baby's life? He loved his daughter, but admitted that he had not been a good father. Did she want to be a single parent? Money wasn't an issue; she could easily afford to raise a child. Maybe she should consider an abortion. She was so scared and confused. She covered her face with her hands and cried. She lay on the bed crying for hours until she was too exhausted to cry any more, but too upset to sleep.  
  
As the weeks passed, she found herself falling in love with the tiny life growing within her. She saw the baby on ultrasound and heard his heart beat. (Although the doctor told her that the baby's sex wasn't clear on ultrasound yet, she already knew in her heart that it was a boy.) Jack didn't need to be a part of this, she thought. This was her baby. She named him Robert John, after her father and Jack. And she spent countless hours practicing how she was going to explain to her son why his father was absent from both of their lives without sounding bitter or unhappy about it.  
  
At 16 weeks she still had told no one about the pregnancy but her clothes were getting tight and she knew that she could not wait much longer. She ran into Michelle one day and found out that Jack was back from his assignment. Jack had changed, Michelle reported, and Jack and Tony were working more hours than ever. Tony was never home any more and she was tired of it all. Tony was flying to Virginia to interview for a job at Langley. Michelle was hoping that he would get it. He needed to get away from CTU before their marriage was ruined. Kate considered telling Michelle about the baby, but decided against it. She knew Michelle would tell Tony and he would refuse to keep it a secret from Jack. Tony felt a strong sense of responsibility to Jack ever since Teri was killed. He had never forgiven himself for not doing a better job of protecting her.  
  
Kate waited two more weeks before telling her father. That was the hardest thing she had ever done. He just put his head in his hands and said "Oh my God, Kate, how could you let this happen?"  
  
She turned on him angrily. "I didn't LET it happen, Dad. It was an accident. Jack is as much responsible as I am."  
  
They argued for an hour over whether or not she should tell Jack. She finally agreed, against her better judgment that she would tell him. She had her chance this morning and hadn't done it and she wasn't sorry either. She was having this baby on her own. She couldn't have Jack Bauer, but she could have a piece of him that he could never take from her.  
  
It was 4 o'clock as she pulled onto the exit ramp. The shopping mall sat just off the exit and was surrounded by the flashing lights of emergency vehicles. Even from a distance Kate could see that several jurisdictions were represented. Local and California state authorities and FBI were all there. She also noticed several vans with the unmistakable CTU logo. Whatever happened was big to have attracted the attention of the FBI and CTU. She turned on the radio to find out what was going on but they were not yet reporting anything. Police had the mall cordoned off, and her desire to shop had faded after spending the last 30 minutes thinking about Jack, so she decided to head home. She was forced to wait as a speeding ambulance passed her. She watched it turn left at the next intersection. Probably going to Good Samaritan Hospital, she thought. The hospital was only a couple of blocks away.  
  
She walked in the house ten minutes later and turned on the television to get some news. Channel 2 was reporting that a federal agent had been shot at the mall. Details were sketchy, the reporter said, but an agent of the elite Counter Terrorist Unit was shot while trying to apprehend a suspect. Witnesses said the agent was shot in the neck, but his condition was not known. The agency had not yet released his name pending notification of his family.  
  
Kate sunk into the nearest chair, a feeling of dread coming over her. "Oh, God, not Jack" she said out loud. "Not Jack, please. Please don't let him die." She wrapped her arms around her abdomen as if to shield the baby from any possible pain. The thought briefly crossed her mind that if it was Jack and he died, it would be a much easier explanation for the baby. 'Your father died in the line of duty.' Would be all she had to say. Suddenly Jack would be a hero instead of an absentee father. She brushed that thought away quickly, angry with herself for even thinking it.  
  
It wasn't until the 6 o'clock news that they reported the name of the shooting victim: Tony Almeida. Kate was in the same moment both relieved that it wasn't Jack and horrified that it was Tony. Poor Michelle, was all she could think. Her phone rang and startled her.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Kate," it was her father, "Have you heard the news?"  
  
"Yeah, just now. Dad, something isn't right. Tony isn't a field agent. Why was he arresting a suspect? I guess I was around Jack too long, but I don't like the way this feels. I think something bad is happening. I drove past the mall, and you should have seen the number of police cars along with FBI, and CTU vans. More than you would expect even if an officer was down."  
  
Bob could hear the apprehension in his daughter's voice. "Kate, I'm on my way home. Would you like me to come over there?"  
  
She felt like a scared child, "Do you mind?" She asked.  
  
"I'll pick up some dinner for us and be there in a half hour."  
  
Neither Bob nor Kate had much appetite for dinner, but they ate in silence as they channel surfed hoping to get more news on Tony's condition. It wasn't until the late news came on that they finally got an update. A hospital spokesperson said Tony had a bullet wound to the neck which required surgical repair. He had been released from the hospital against medical advice and had returned to work.  
  
"There is definitely something wrong." Kate said to her father. "There is no way Tony would be allowed to return to work the same day as he was shot unless they absolutely needed him. He would have to be cleared both physically and emotionally after being shot before he could go back to work. Why would they let him work just hours after surgery? This doesn't make sense, Dad."  
  
They continued to watch the news networks for another couple of hours but got no more information. Bob suggested that Kate get some rest. He would monitor the news for a while longer. Kate was tired so she didn't object. She smiled as she said goodnight to her father who she knew would be asleep on the couch within the hour.  
  
Kate and Bob had no idea that while they slept, Los Angeles was in the grips of a bioterrorist attack. They awoke to little real information and a lot of rumors. There were quarantine zones and road blocks and airports had been closed. Like most of the country, they sat glued to the television hoping for good news. 


	3. Make it Stop

Chapter 3: Make it stop  
  
**Day 2, 12:56 pm  
**  
Chase was in the operating room and Jack stood in the waiting room deep in thought.  
  
"Dad" He heard Kim's voice and turned.  
  
She ran to him and hugged him; his little girl, the love of his life. But she wasn't his helpless little girl any more and he had to face that fact. At 20 years of age she was a grown woman. Frankly, she was too grown up for her 20 years. She had grown up too quickly, had too much pain, seen too much violence. Jack wished he could take it all back; give her back her childhood. He had missed so much of her childhood, so many important events. When he left for Kosovo, he feared he would never see Kim or Teri again. Maybe it would have been better if he hadn't returned. So many bad things had happened since Kosovo, because of Kosovo.  
  
"Is Chase going to be okay?" She asked him in a worried voice.  
  
"The doctors are very optimistic. They got him into surgery very quickly."  
  
"Oh, thank God." Kim breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Come here" her father whispered as he hugged her again. He knew that she loved Chase. He just hoped Chase wouldn't hurt her the way he had, the way he had hurt Teri. "I hear you and Chase are going to make some changes. I'm very happy for you."  
  
"I thought you were going to be upset about it."  
  
"I'm so proud of you. I'm sure whatever choices you make will be the right ones."  
  
They hugged again. "Thank you, Dad. Thank you. Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm going to be fine. There's some things I have to deal with, but I'm going to be fine. Are you going to wait here for Chase to get out of surgery?"  
  
"Yeah." She answered.  
  
"I've got to leave for a little while but I'm going to be back. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too"  
  
Jack looked back at Kim as he left the hospital. She was all he had and he loved her so much it hurt. He walked through the door and nearly ran for his car. He was physically and mentally and emotionally drained. The long acting narcotic that Ramon Salazar had given him over twelve hours ago had long since worn off and his withdrawal symptoms were back with a vengeance. He needed a fix so badly he could barely walk.  
  
Everything that happened today was my fault, he told himself. If I had not left Stephen Saunders for dead in Kosovo seven years ago, none of this would have happened. Stephen would still be a loyal British subject. I failed Stephen in Kosovo and now everything is my fault.  
  
He could take no more. He reached the car and finally broke down. He sat behind the wheel of his SUV and cried. He pounded the window with his fist. He had so many reasons to cry and the sounds and images flickered through his brain life an old movie.  
  
He cried for Claudia. She saved Chase's life, then died helping him escape. His affair with Claudia had been a mistake. He cared deeply for her but knew he didn't really love her. She was there when he was lonely and in need of physical contact. She saw him as her savior; her only way out of her relationship with Hector. If he hadn't convinced her to escape, she would probably be alive right now. He felt guilty for using her. He felt responsible for her death.  
  
He cried for Gael and his family. Gael was dead because of his covert plan to buy the virus. Now Gael's wife was under arrest for killing Stephen Saunders and their children essentially lost two parents in the same day.  
  
He cried for Ryan. He had never gotten along with Ryan, but being forced to execute him was the hardest order he had ever had to follow. Pulling the trigger was surreal and he couldn't get the image of Ryan lying face down in the dirt out of his mind.  
  
He cried for Tony. Again, it if weren't for his covert plan, Michelle would never have been kidnapped and Tony wouldn't have been forced to commit treason. He wouldn't be on his way to Federal to be processed. He wouldn't be facing years of imprisonment.  
  
He cried for Chase. He had never seen anyone exhibit bravery the way Chase had. He held absolutely still while Jack cut off his hand. His cries of pain still echoed in Jack's head.  
  
Jack never would have admitted it, but mostly he cried for himself. Besides Teri's death which he had slowly come to accept, this was the lowest point in his life. He blamed himself for everything that happened today, for the pain he caused, for everyone who died and he was laden down with guilt.  
  
He was finally acknowledging his heroin addiction and knew in his heart that it was about more than just maintaining his cover with the Salazars. It was about dulling pain and hiding from reality.  
  
He had killed Nina in cold blood. Yes, in cold blood. He was no better than any murderer in any prison. She was no threat to him lying on the floor. He could have kicked her gun out of the way, but he didn't. He used it as an excuse to kill her.  
  
He suddenly felt so alone. He was losing Kim to Chase and as much as he wanted her to be happy, letting go of his only lifeline was going to break his heart. He had pushed Kate away and she would probably never let him back in her life.  
  
How was he going to live with all of this? It would be so much easier to die. As thoughts of death, the peacefulness of it all, started to invade his consciousness, a voice called over his two-way radio, "Jack, you there?"  
  
He ignored it at first.  
  
"Jack"  
  
He closed his eyes then responded. "This is Jack."  
  
"I just got a call from district. They started interrogating Saunders' courier, they could use your help."  
  
Again he tried to ignore the request. "Jack?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"Jack, did you copy?"  
  
"I'm on my way." With that, Jack put the SUV in gear and drove away.  
  
**4:12pm  
  
**Jack looked at his watch. He had now been awake for 35 hours and if he didn't sleep soon, he was going to collapse. The interrogation was over and now he was going back to the hospital to check on Chase. After that he was going home to sleep. He turned and headed for the door.  
  
"Bauer!" he heard as he swiped his card key through the reader to exit it building.  
  
He turned and looked up slowly. It seemed to take him a long time to react. He was so tired that he felt sluggish, his reflexes slow. Brad Hammond stood twenty feet away, his stance was firm.  
  
"I need to see you now, Bauer."  
  
"Brad, I haven't slept in a day and a half. I need to check on my partner and then I'd like to get some sleep. We can talk tomorrow. Nothing is going to change between now and then."  
  
"No, we'll talk now, Jack." Hammond directed him into a conference room. Three other high ranking officials from district and division were already seated in the room. Jack acknowledged them and sat down. Hammond was the only one who spoke and he got right to the point. "We are here to offer you two choices. Make no mistake, there is no room for negotiation and we don't care which offer you accept. Consider yourself lucky that you are the President's fair-haired boy or you would be in handcuffs down at Federal next to your buddy, Almeida. But Palmer made it clear you aren't to be charged with anything."  
  
Jack nodded silently.  
  
Hammond continued, "Here are your choices. We will provide a 28 day inpatient drug rehab, and then you come back and replace Almeida as CTU director. Or you can quit now, you'll get your pension, your personnel file will reflect the heroin use and it will likely prevent you from getting another job in any federal, state or local government agency ever again.  
  
Not much of a choice, Jack thought. He really didn't want to go into inpatient rehab. He told Kim hours ago that he would do that, but his plan was to go off by himself, rent a cabin in the woods for a month and stop the heroin cold turkey. He would rather live through the withdrawal than have to tell his life story to some psychoanalyst, share his personal thoughts and feelings in group therapy. But coming back as CTU director was tempting; he loved that job more than any he ever had. What kind of a son of a bitch am I, he thought. Tony hasn't even been processed yet and I'm already taking his job. Maybe it was better to quit. He would get his pension, but he was far too young to retire. With too much time on his hands, he would just drown himself in heroin and he knew it. If he couldn't get a job in a military or paramilitary government organization, what would he do? He closed his eyes and shook his head not sure what to do. "Tell me about the rehab."  
  
"The place is up in San Luis Obispo. It has a very high success rate. When you come back, you will be required to submit to weekly drug tests in order to keep your job. If you so much as fail one drug test, you will be out and you will lose your pension. We have arranged for a car to pick you up tomorrow morning at 8 and take you up there." Hammond explained.  
  
"It sounds like you have made the decision for me." Jack responded blankly.  
  
"Go home and get some sleep, Jack. Let your daughter know where you are going. You won't be able to talk to her or anyone else outside of the facility for the first 14 day. Then they will decide how much outside contact you are allowed." Brad paused. "This is really the best choice, Jack. You were the best CTU director we ever had. Mason and Almeida were good, but you were the best. We want you back in that position and you want it back, admit it."  
  
Jack thanked everyone quietly and left to go home. He needed to think, to talk to Kim, to pack and most of all to sleep.  
  
**6:55pm  
**  
Tony was so tired he didn't know how he was still standing up. They were just about finished processing him. He still had to go to medical before he would be taken to a holding cell until his bail review hearing the next day at noon. He wanted to talk to Michelle, just to hear her voice, but was sure he wouldn't be able to do that until the hearing. Poor Michelle, he thought. He knew she was as tired as he was and she still had to keep functioning. She would have to debrief at CTU and then find a lawyer and get started on his defense. His position was pretty hard to defend, he thought. He committed treason. End of story.  
  
His thoughts turned to Michelle. She was so wonderful. She didn't deserve any of what had happened to her today. He thought about how beautiful she was just yesterday morning when he had woken up early and watched her sleep. Her curls were spread out over the pillow. He stroked her hair and couldn't believe his good fortune having found such an incredible mate. She was the only women he had ever really loved. He would love her forever, but he had to be prepared to let her go if he was going to spend most of his life in prison.  
  
Tony was surprised to see a familiar face when he arrived in the medical unit. Dr. Jim McCleary was the medical director for all of the federal facilities in California. Jim had been the director of the medical unit at CTU several years earlier when Tony started there. "Tony" Jim said extending his hand. "What the hell happened? One of the medics from CTU called me and said you were being processed. Jesus, Tony, I'm sorry about all of this."  
  
Tony shook his head as if to say that it was all too much for him to believe. He let out a quiet sigh.  
  
Jim spoke to the corrections officer. "Take him into exam room 3. I'll be there in a few minutes."  
  
"Yes, sir" the officer responded and led Tony down the hall and into the room. Tony was grateful to see the examination table and glanced at the officer as if to ask if he was allowed to sit down. The officer nodded almost imperceptibly. Tony took that as a 'yes' and sat on the table.  
  
Jim walked in soon after and asked the officer to wait outside. "But sir, regulations say you can't be alone with a prisoner. It's for your own safety."  
  
"Almeida isn't exactly a violent criminal. Please wait outside. If anyone questions it, I'll let them know I gave you a direct order." The officer opened the door and stepped out.  
  
Jim and Tony talked while Jim did the examination, cleaned up Tony's neck wound and drew several tubes of blood. Jim knew the basic facts of the case, but Tony added the details. As Jim finished the exam he stepped back and looked at Tony. "Nobody should go through what you and Michelle have gone through in the last 24 hours. I can keep you here in medical over night. It will be more comfortable. You'll have had a bail review hearing tomorrow and hopefully you can go home until the trial."  
  
"I hear they are calling me a flight risk and asking that I be held without bond."  
  
"I don't think there is any real evidence that you are a flight risk. I don't think your lawyer is going to let the prosecutor get away with that request." Jim walked toward the door. "I'm going to call Michelle and update her on your condition. Would you like to talk to her?"  
  
"I didn't think I'd be allowed to talk to her tonight." His hopes of hearing his wife's voice starting to rise.  
  
"As medical director, I have to call her to let her know you are being admitted to the medical unit. Who's going to know if I slip the phone to you for a few minutes? My calls aren't monitored or recorded."  
  
"Jim, I don't want to get you in trouble, but you can't imagine how much I want to talk to Michelle."  
  
"I won't get in trouble. I'm happy to do it for you."  
  
Jim called Michelle and talked to her for about five minutes before he handed the phone to Tony. "I'll be back in ten minutes." He said with a smile as he walked out the door.  
  
"Sweetheart" he whispered into the phone as his voice cracked with emotion. "Are you alright, Baby?"  
  
"Oh, Tony" he could hear her voice quiver as well. "I'm holding up, Honey. How about you?"  
  
"I'm okay. Where are you? Are you at home? Are you getting some rest?"  
  
"No, I'm on my way to meet with your lawyer, Marcus Youngwood."  
  
"Marcus Youngwood?" Tony exclaimed. "Michelle, he's the premier defense attorney in California. We can't afford him!"  
  
"Actually, we can, Tony." She explained, "Bob Warner keeps Youngwood on retainer to handle Marie's appeals. Right now, Marie is refusing any appeals. I guess she thinks it will further her cause if she is executed. Anyway, Bob is basically paying Marc the retainer to do nothing, so all we have to do is pay the difference between the retainer and his regular fee. We can handle it, Honey, really."  
  
"Michelle, that's a lot for us to accept from Bob Warner. We don't know him that well."  
  
"Kate called me as soon as this all hit the news and made the offer. I said the same thing, but she and Bob won't take 'no' for an answer. They are both still grateful for how you treated them when they were at CTU three years ago. They also felt that your testimony at Marie's trial put her in a better light than she really deserved. Bob appreciated that. Tony, Youngwood is the best there is. Please, let's just say 'thank you' and accept the offer."  
  
"I guess it's pretty hard for me to argue while I'm in here and you're out there." Tony said ruefully.  
  
"I'm on my way to his office to discuss your case. Your hearing is at noon tomorrow; expect us around 10 o'clock. Youngwood thinks he can get you released on a reasonable bond."  
  
"Honey, don't get your hopes up. You know the prosecutor is trying to have me held without bond. I just don't want you to be disappointed." Jim was outside the room and he rattled the doorknob. "Look, Honey, I have to go. I love you with all my heart and I can't wait to see you. Try and get some rest, Baby."  
  
"I love you, too, Tony. You get some rest, too. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Tony was moved to a hospital bed in the medical unit for the night. He was humiliated when they shackled his ankle to the bed as if he were some common criminal. Jim personally brought him dinner. Tony thanked him, but despite his hunger after having not eaten in over 24 hours, he couldn't bring himself to eat.  
  
He was lying in a hospital bed in prison. In prison! This was going to be harder to swallow than he thought. He told Michelle that he could live with what he had done as long as she was safe, but it was not going to be as easy as he thought.  
  
He lay in the bed exhausted, almost too exhausted to sleep. The day played over and over in his head. He wished he could stop it, but he was powerless to do so. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Michelle on the computer monitor, the kidnapper's knife inching closer to her face. He could hear his arguments with Jack. Suggesting that Jack hadn't learned anything from what happened to Teri had been a low blow. He owed Jack an apology. He could hear Michelle's voice as she told Jack that she had escaped. He was so proud of her, so happy she was safe. He could feel his own angst rising as Jack told her she had to let Saunders capture her again. He squeezed is eyes shut. Make it stop, God. Make it stop. He prayed fervently as he drifted off to sleep.


	4. Lifestyle Changes

Chapter 4: Lifestyle Changes  
  
**Day 3, 8:00am**  
  
Jack looked out the window and saw the government car pull up in front of his condo. This is it, he thought. As if everything that happened yesterday wasn't enough, now he was going to be forced to rehab in a way that didn't fit his personality. He hated the idea of spilling his guts to some stranger who was going to tell him how he should feel and why he acted the way he did. Kate was one of the few people he ever opened up to and even then, he never opened up fully. He sighed and picked up his suitcase. Be back in a month, he thought as he locked the door behind him.  
  
Despite being exhausted he hadn't really slept at all. He didn't even bother to get into bed; he knew it was a waste of time. Instead he called Kim and said goodbye; he told her that he loved her and would talk to her in a couple of weeks. (He had stopped by the hospital after he left his meeting with Hammond. Chase was out of surgery. The doctors seemed pleased with the results, but they wouldn't know how successful the surgery was for several days at least. Even then, it would be weeks of physical therapy before they would know how functional his hand would be.)  
  
Jack spent much of the night fighting waves of withdrawal symptoms. He was sweating so much that he had showered and changed clothes twice. The abdominal cramps and back spasms were so bad that at times he couldn't sit up straight. Still he forced himself to stay away from the heroin stash he had in his closet. He couldn't bring himself to get rid of it, but he willed himself not to use it. He would not let this addiction win. He was stronger than that. The only villain that had ever beaten him was Nina and in the end, he won that battle, too. Victor Drazen hadn't beaten him. Stephen Saunders hadn't beaten him. Heroin would not beat him either.  
  
In the moments when the withdrawal symptoms were at their mildest, his mind spun nonstop over the last day. It moved from subject to subject like a hummingbird in a flower garden. Amazingly, he had already managed to put the most heinous moments behind him: killing Nina, executing Ryan, watching the young prison guard die as he was forced to play Russian roulette, cutting off Chase's hand. Those moments were all relegated to that part of his brain that he had partitioned off years ago. That place where only his worst memories went. A place he never visited and never let anyone else know existed. These new memories would have plenty of company there. They would join memories from Operation Nightfall and from the day the nuke exploded and from that day almost five years ago when Teri was murdered and from so many other missions. No, the new memories would not get lonely in that corner of his brain.  
  
One moment from yesterday that particularly haunted him in the middle of the night was an angry comment Tony made; one spoken in the fear and emotion of the moment. Tony, his good friend, had looked him in the eye as they stood near the pay phone, as Tony tried to exchange Jane Saunders for Michelle and shouted at him "protecting her is not your priority, is it? If she were to get killed, that would be an acceptable loss wouldn't it?" He couldn't look at Tony; he looked away. Yes, he knew in his mind that in this situation, Michelle's death would be an 'acceptable loss'. Michelle was a government agent. When she swore the oath, she knew she could die for her country. Just like any soldier or sailor or airman or marine, just like Chappelle, just like Mason. They all knew death was a possibility. Yes, Michelle's death, though regrettable, would be an 'acceptable loss'. Had Tony died at the mall, it would have been an 'acceptable loss'. Had Chase died in Mexico, it would have been an 'acceptable loss'. If it meant protecting the country, the job he was sworn to do, their deaths would be 'acceptable losses'.  
  
Tony just shook his head "My God, Jack, didn't you learn anything from what happened to Teri?" That was more than Jack could take. He lost his focus, lost his control. "Shut up, Tony!" He shouted as he pushed Tony away like a schoolyard bully that had no other way to fight back. A person too stupid or too insecure to argue his point so he did the only thing he could do, use superior physical strength to hurt the person who had spoken the truth.  
  
Was Tony right? Had he lost his perspective? He had become enraged when Tony asked Kim to double for Jane Saunders in the library. Kim, a sworn federal agent, was not an 'acceptable loss' and he would not let her risk her life. Michelle, Ryan, Tony, Chase, himself, they were all different. They could be sacrificed, but not his daughter.  
  
Tony's voice broke through his thoughts again. "Just because you sacrificed your wife for this job doesn't mean I'm going to sacrifice mine!" He had not sacrificed Teri. Teri was murdered. It was different, he told himself. Tony losing his wife to a terrorist was different.  
  
Did he want Michelle to die? Deep down, somewhere in the depths of his soul, did he have some perverse desire to see Michelle dead? No, he thought, he liked Michelle, respected her, enjoyed her company. No, he didn't think that he wanted her dead.  
  
Was he jealous of Tony and Michelle, of the love they had? They reminded him so much of himself and Teri when they were younger; so playful and so romantic and so in love. Outside of CTU, they were always holding hands, touching lightly just to feel the other close by. As much as he loved Kate, their relationship had been different, every bit as good, but different. He couldn't explain it.  
  
Or did he want Tony to suffer the way he had, to feel the same pain he had felt, to understand what it was like to have the most precious thing in your life taken away from you leaving your soul ripped open and bleeding? After all, Tony was at CTU when Teri was murdered. Tony was at least partially responsible for her death. He could have protected her. He could have kept her away from Nina. Jack knew Tony carried the guilt of that day with him at all times. He knew that Tony also had that walled off partition in his mind where he kept that day, where he kept the guilt that had nearly overwhelmed him in the first few months after Teri's death. Maybe all I want is to see Tony suffer, too, Jack thought.  
  
It all scared him. That he could have become so cold to it all, that he could so easily turn people's lives into 'acceptable losses' and sacrifices chilled him to his core. CTU had changed him. It had become too important to him. His mission to protect his country, to become its lone savior had turned him into someone he hated. Someone he greedily poisoned with heroin and alcohol and tobacco as a punishment for the ugliness he carried in his heart.  
  
At least, he thought, the month in rehab would give him time to think; time to decide who he wanted to be. Did he want to continue to be this person who got impressive results at CTU, but who had lost his morality? Did he want to be this person who was so wrapped up in his job that he tricked his own daughter into creating transfer papers to get Ramon Salazar out of prison? Or did he want to be someone else; someone he used to be?  
  
**4:17pm  
**  
Kate stood at the head of the table in the conference room next to her office. Despite yesterday's terrorist attack, most people outside of the quarantine zones had reported to work. Midmorning, Kate notified her senior staff that they would have a 4:00 meeting to review safety and security protocols at Warner Enterprises. A dozen senior staff members sat anxiously around the table. Everyone was anxious about everything after the terrorist attack. As she wrapped up the meeting everyone began shuffling papers and getting ready to leave. They all wanted to get home. Right now everyone in LA wanted to be home, with their family in what felt like their own safe cocoon, away from the evil that had invaded their city.  
  
"If I could have you all stay for just a few more minutes," she said "I have an announcement to make."  
  
Everyone sat back in their chairs and set paperwork on the table, a quiet but discontented rumble could be heard among some of the participants. "This is probably going to come as a surprise to you. I wanted to tell my staff before my father announces it to the whole company. You know that our Seattle office has been running without a manager for a couple of months now. I have decided to leave Los Angeles and manage the Seattle office." There were startled reactions and mumblings around the table. "This hasn't been an easy decision and I will miss all of you."  
  
Kate took a deep breath and continued. "I've spent a lot of time thinking about this and I decided that this is a lifestyle change that I need right now. You all know I put in a lot of hours here and, believe me, I'm not complaining. I love working here and with all of you. But my life is changing and I think the slower pace and lighter stress load at the Seattle office is something that will be important to me in the next few years."  
  
She paused again, smiled and lowered her eyes slightly. "You see, I'm having a baby in a few months and I want to have some time to be a mother and to enjoy my baby." Kate looked up at a sea of stunned faces. Although a couple of the women had discussed the fact that Kate was gaining weight, the idea that she could be pregnant never crossed anyone's mind. One of the senior managers seemed to recover from the shock first and ran over to congratulate her. The others quickly followed and soon Kate was hugging everyone and accepting their congratulations and best wishes. She told them that she would be leaving in two weeks and that her father would name her replacement before she left. In the mean time she was going to spend several days in Seattle looking for a place to live.  
  
As everyone left, Kate felt that the meeting had gone well. She knew there were going to be all kinds of whispers as they tried to figure out who the father was and that the rumors were going to fly around the office. She didn't care. This wasn't how she planned her life, but it was working out fine.  
  
**9:43pm  
**  
After unlocking the door, Tony turned the knob and happily opened the door for Michelle. Not in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would be home, free on bond, tonight. He felt his eyes fill with tears. This may only be temporary, he thought, but at the moment he didn't care.  
  
The bail review hearing had gone better than he had expected. The federal prosecutor had, as planned, asked that Tony be considered a flight risk and held without bail. Marc Youngwood reviewed Tony's exemplary service record and his close family ties to the LA area and told the judge there was no reason to believe that Almeida was a flight risk. The judge agreed and he was released after posting a $250,000 bond. A trial date almost ten months away was set.  
  
It was close to 3 o'clock before they left the Federal courthouse. Marc suggested that Tony and Michelle come to his office. He would have his secretary order a late lunch and they could eat and discuss his defense strategy. Tony liked Marc instantly. He was humble and down to earth despite the fact that he was one of the most recognized attorneys in the country. His tone was warm and congenial and he seemed genuinely concerned about Tony's well being.  
  
"I don't know how you can possibly defend what I did." Tony admitted. "I won't deny it. Frankly, I can't deny it."  
  
Marc agreed to an extent. He did think Tony's position was indefensible, but suggested that they may be able to reach a plea agreement. Marc began to outline his strategy. If Tony was willing to plead guilty to some of the lesser counts of obstructing justice and aiding and abetting a terrorist, he could possibly get the treason charge dropped. Marc would bring up Tony's physical condition at the time. The gunshot wound, lingering effects of anesthesia and exhaustion all had to count for something. Additionally he would bring up the extreme mental duress under which Tony was working. He knew that the government did not want the publicity of the case. Too much classified information would have to be released during the trial. In order to keep the whole thing as quiet as possible, Marc felt he would be able to arrange a plea that kept the prison sentence under two years.  
  
Tony agreed heartily to the plan. As of yesterday afternoon, he thought he would be lucky to get out in less than twenty years, so two years was nothing. Michelle was far more reluctant. She didn't want Tony to plead guilty to anything and she certainly didn't want him to serve any prison time. A jury would never convict him, she said. Neither Marc nor Tony was so sure.  
  
"Look, Michelle" Marc advised her, "if we can get a plea agreement, it's a sure thing and we negotiate the best possible terms. If this goes to a jury, you never know how things will turn out. Some juries might be sympathetic to Tony; others might feel that he ignored his oath to protect all Americans, not just his wife and that he deserves life in prison. I'll do whatever you two decide, but my advice is to go for a plea bargain."  
  
Michelle deferred to Tony saying that she would live with whatever decision he made. He didn't have to think twice and told Marc to go ahead with negotiating a plea bargain. Tony and Michelle left Marc's office for home. Tony put a jazz CD into the stereo and they listened in silence as he drove home.  
  
"Honey," Tony said as he stepped into the house behind her. "I know that this plea bargain isn't what you want, but I think it is what's best for us. We may end up apart for a couple of years, but when I'm out of prison, if you still want me, we can be together. We can have a family. We've talked about it; that's something we both want."  
  
Michelle looked at him and shook her head. "Tony you haven't thought about what was best for us in months. You've been so wrapped up in CTU and this plan to buy the virus for so long now, we're lucky there is still an 'us'."  
  
"Oh, Sweetheart, let's not start. You know how sorry I am. If I could have told you about the plan, I would have. It was best for you not to know."  
  
"Why, because I would have opposed it?" she replied angrily.  
  
Tony didn't answer. "Please, Sweetheart, I love you so much. I didn't know how I was going to go on if you died. I've never been so scared in my life. We need to start over, Baby. I know I've been a lousy husband for the last few months, but I promise you that will change. Just give me a chance. No matter how this turns out, I won't ever be able to go back to CTU. Maybe you can leave too. We'll find normal jobs, ones where we work from 9-5. Maybe we can leave LA, go someplace quiet." He was grasping at straws now; he was so afraid of losing her.  
  
Tony thought that he could see Michelle's expression soften. "Let's go to bed. We're both tired. We can talk about it in the morning."  
  
They climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Tony undressed and took a shower. He never remembered a shower feeling so good. He let the water run over him for a long time and began to feel clean for the first time in two days. He put on a pair of boxer shorts and got into bed. He tried to read while Michelle was in the shower, but found he could not focus. He turned off the light and lay silently in the dark room. He must have dosed off but awakened as Michelle came out of the bathroom and slipped into bed. She lay on her side of the bed, her back to Tony. He inched toward the center of the bed, but stopped as he felt her move closer to the edge of the bed and away from him. Was he losing her? He was terrified. He fought so hard to save her life. He committed treason to save her life. She was all he wanted. He lay very still not knowing what to do next. He wanted to reach out to her, but he feared that she would get out of bed, leave him forever. He had to gain her trust again so he decided to wait patiently. He would wait for a lifetime, if necessary, he thought. After what seemed like an eternity, Michelle turned over and moved toward him. He took her cue and reached out to her.  
  
They wrapped their arms around each other and both began to cry. Like Jack, they cried for so many reasons. They cried for themselves and for each other; they cried for the friends and colleagues they lost, they cried over decisions they had both been forced to make during the crisis; they cried for the sadness and the pain they had witnessed; they cried for their future which was now so uncertain. They cried inconsolably, sobs wracking their bodies. They cried until there were no more tears left, but the muscle spasms from the sobs continued.  
  
Tony calmed down first. He finally lay still, exhausted, Michelle encased firmly in his arms. Her sobs continued. He didn't try to stop her; he knew she needed to cry it out. He stroked her hair and her back, wishing there was a way to take all of the pain away from her. He never wanted her to hurt, not ever. Tony felt her body relax as the sobs subsided. Her breathing slowed and deepened, but he knew by her continued tight grip on his body that she wasn't asleep. Her face was still pressed against his neck. They both lay very still. He tipped his head and kissed her temple. It was the only bit of her skin he could reach without moving. His lips lingered for a long time. His arms still tightly around her, he nudged her face with his own. Her head turned slightly and his lips fell onto the hollow of her cheek. There the sweet flavor of her skin mixed with the salt of her tears. She tasted so good. Again, his lips lingered for a long time. He raised his head slightly and gently nudged her face one more time. This time as he leaned forward he found her soft, warm mouth. Her lips were parted and her tongue immediately found its way into his mouth.  
  
The kisses quickly turned from tender to passionate to insistent. They fumbled to remove clothing. Soon they were naked, arms and legs entwined. All of the emotions of the last two days were released in a torrent. Their kisses got harder and harder until they almost hurt, but neither seemed to mind. Michelle pulled away first, panting to get her breath. Then she buried her face in Tony's neck which was still wet with her tears, and began kissing him urgently and nipping him lightly with her teeth. She slipped down to his chest and licked and bit his nipples. Her hand strayed down further and she wrapped it around him stroking him roughly. He groaned loudly. Seemingly incapacitated, he writhed on the bed. Michelle felt him take a deep breath as if to gather his strength. He grabbed her shoulders and threw her almost angrily to the bed. She put her hands on the back of his neck and pulled his face to hers. He covered her face with hot, wet kisses. He pulled back and knelt over her, pinning her down, they were both panting as the mood seemed to change. Slowly, he released her and lowered himself gently on top of her. They developed a slow, steady rhythm, both of them moaning softly and begging for more in between kisses. They finally lay still; exhausted, spent, warm and happy and more in love than they had been in months.

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	5. Coffee and Revelations

_Author's note:  
  
Hi and thanks to all for reading and especially to those who reviewed._

_A couple of notes to specific reviewers:  
Unthinkable - I'm really flattered that you're reading this knowing that you don't normally read Jack/Kate fanfics. I hope you're not disappointed.  
  
Chris – You're probably right, 2 yrs is probably a light sentence and I considered 5yrs. My thought was that, unlike someone like Marie Warner who believed in the terrorists' cause and aided them willingly, Tony was only acting to save his wife and there were plenty of mitigating circumstances (lack of sleep, effects of anesthesia, trauma of being shot). I thought a good lawyer would exploit those.  
  
Also, if you readers think that this should be rated "R" rather than "PG- 13" for sexual content, let me know. A reviewer of my Tony/Michelle fiction (Escape to Argentina) took exception to my PG-13 rating and even thought it had too much sex to be rated "R". I really scrutinize the sex scenes before I post and thought that, although somewhat explicit, they are tasteful. I don't want to offend anyone. Please give me feedback.  
  
Now back to the story...  
  
_Chapter 5: Coffee and Revelations  
  
Two months later  
  
"Oooh, Tony, look," Michelle called behind her excitedly, "there's an antique shop across the street!" She grabbed his hand, checked the traffic and, finding it clear, trotted across the street with Tony in tow.  
  
"Michelle, I'm looking in the..." he started as she pulled his hand. Then he smiled and followed her. When Michelle is shopping, there is no stopping her, he thought. It was a rainy October day and but Michelle's eyes sparkled as she splashed through a puddle. Their lives had changed drastically in the last two months and they had never been happier.  
  
Marcus Youngwood arranged a plea agreement sweeter than anyone could have dreamed. As they had discussed, Tony pled guilty to some of the lesser charges in exchange for the government dropping the treason charges. A two year prison term had been agreed upon. He would also lose his pension and not be able to work for any state or federal agency again. Tony was to report to a federal detention facility in Colorado just after the first of the year. This all changed when Jack, who read about the plea agreement in the newspaper, insisted on contacting Brad Hammond from the drug rehab center. It was against all of their rules, but Jack persuaded the counselors that this was urgent. He needed to talk to his boss. A call was put through to Hammond. He heard Jack out and was reluctant at first, but finally agreed to meet with the federal prosecutor and the judge and offer a suggestion.  
  
Putting Almeida in prison was a waste of taxpayer resources, Hammond told them (although he was basically parroting Jack). Almeida was talented and they could use that to their advantage. Tony had virtually written the book on running tactical during a crisis. He had even run tactical for Jack and Chase after he had been arrested when they were tracking down the final vial of virus. He was known throughout the agency for his ability to coordinate responding teams, local law enforcement, satellite feeds, and computer images and keep it all running smoothly. He taught a class to incoming agents that had become a favorite with all new agents. Why waste his time in prison? Why not have him literally write the manual? They could provide him with space and a computer. He would not get a copy or retain any rights to the publication. It would be an internal government document that would be worth more to them than his spending 18 months in prison. It would likely become the model from which all federal law enforcement agents were trained. It could also serve as punishment, in that Tony could in no way profit from it. He would have to agree not to write any similar document for other agencies. This was a win-win scenario for everyone.  
  
The prosecutor was less than thrilled, but the judge liked the idea. He discussed it with some of his colleagues and decided that he would agree to it and got the prosecutor to do so as well. Tony felt like a kid at Christmas. Everything was working out so much better than he expected. He and Michelle had gotten their marriage back on track. Now all he had to do was write this manual (Which was something he had had in the back of his mind for years and Jack knew it.) and he was free.  
  
While Tony was busy writing the manual, he and Michelle found some free time to start looking for new jobs. Tony's arrest had generated a lot of publicity nationwide. So had this very unusual plea bargain, which had been referred to in the media as 'groundbreaking' and 'creative'. Several companies contacted Tony with job offers. The offer that most interested him was with a software company in Seattle. With the salary they were offering, Michelle could afford to start the business she had always wanted. This would allow her the flexibility to work from home when they had children.  
  
They moved to Seattle as soon as Tony finished work on the manual. It was a bittersweet move. All of their family and friends lived in LA and they would miss them. But at the same time, moving to Seattle allowed them to really start over and put the pain of all that had happened to them at CTU in the past. It had only been two months since the bioterrorist attack and the memory was still vivid for both of them.  
  
Now here they were spending a Saturday exploring their new city. They held hands and kissed between rain drops and window shopped in a trendy new shopping district. "How about this," Michelle said as she ducked under an awning to get out of the rain and looked into the window of the maternity store next to the antique shop. "Maybe when I'm pregnant, I can shop here."  
  
"Only if the baby's father is rich." Tony teased her.  
  
"Check out that designer suit" she said "it's only $970! Aren't I worth that?" She giggled. She stood on tiptoe to bring her face close to his.  
  
"Honey, you're worth every penny of it. We just can't afford it." He smiled as he kissed the tip of her nose. Tony turned to look at the next store when he saw a woman stepping out of the maternity shop into the rain. She stopped for a second to put up an umbrella while struggling to manage two large shopping bags. "Michelle, isn't that Kate Warner?" Tony said.  
  
Michelle looked up quickly. "Where?" she asked as she scanned the street. "What would Kate be doing here?"  
  
Tony dropped her hand and walked toward the woman who had turned and was now walking toward them but had not seen them. "Kate?" Tony said. It took Michelle a second to catch up.  
  
Kate was startled to hear her name. She had only been in Seattle for two months and didn't know many people. "Tony! Michelle! It's good to see you." They exchanged quick hugs. "What are you doing in Seattle?" Kate asked smiling. She was wearing a long bulky rain slicker, but at 28 weeks, there was no denying that she was pregnant.  
  
"We live here now." Tony answered. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I live here, too. I manage the Seattle office for Warner Enterprises." Kate could see that both Tony's and Michelle's eyes had dropped to her swollen abdomen. She looked away a bit self conscious. "Hey, there is a nice, dry coffee bar on the next block. Let's go get some coffee." Tony reached over and took her bags from her. As they walked they talked about Tony's plea agreement.  
  
"I told you Marcus wouldn't let you down. I'm happy it turned out so well." Kate said.  
  
"We tried to call you to thank you after Marc negotiated the plea agreement, but you didn't answer." Michelle told her. "Did you get the message? Tony talked to your Dad, but he didn't say anything about you."  
  
"I got your message." She said quietly not looking at either of them as they walked. "When I decided to leave Los Angeles, I guess I wanted to leave everything behind. That meant I had to leave my friends behind, too. Maybe that wasn't fair to people, but it seemed right for me at the time."  
  
They reached the coffee bar and quickly found an empty table in a quiet corner. Tony placed the orders at the counter while Kate and Michelle stripped off dripping raincoats and hung them on hooks near the table.  
  
It wasn't until Kate's raincoat was off that Michelle realized just how far advanced the pregnancy was. Based on a quick calculation of when Kate would have gotten pregnant, Michelle assumed the baby belonged to Jack, but wasn't sure. They sat down at the table both feeling the awkward silence. Michelle finally broke the ice. "Kate, I had no idea you were pregnant. I'm sorry if I stared. I'm just so surprised."  
  
Tony arrived just then with the coffees on a tray. "Decaf café au lait" he announced as he set a tall cup in front of Kate. "Double mocha latte with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle" he said setting a cup in front of Michelle, "and black coffee." He said as he set the final cup down. He finished with a slight smirk as if to say that men don't drink sissy coffee drinks. He sat down as the conversation continued.  
  
"You think you were surprised." Kate said shaking her head. "How do you think I felt?"  
  
"So this wasn't planned?" Michelle asked. She took a sip of her latte and winced as it burned her upper lip.  
  
"Are you kidding? Absolutely not!"  
  
"Lots of professional women have babies by themselves. It's not uncommon, Kate."  
  
"Well, that wasn't my plan." Kate stopped to take a sip from her cup. She sighed, "I thought we'd get married some day, have a family. We lived together for two and a half years and the whole time I made sure I didn't get pregnant. I wanted to wait until we were ready to take that step." She shook her head and looked away. Michelle could tell how much it hurt to tell them the story, so she reached over and took Kate's hand.  
  
Kate tried to blink away tears, but they tumbled down her face instead. Tony leaned toward her "Kate, you don't have to tell us any of this."  
  
"He's right, Kate. Don't upset yourself." Michelle agreed.  
  
Kate composed herself but looked down at her coffee as she continued. "Things weren't good between Jack and me for a while. We had pretty much stopped sleeping together and when we did, he slept like he was in a coma. It was almost like he was drugged." She didn't see Tony and Michelle exchange knowing glances. "He didn't even touch me. I got so pissed off that I stopped taking the pill. Then Jack came home one night. I knew he was there to tell me he was leaving. I could see it in his eyes. But he looked so damn good and I wanted him so much..." she shook her head. "The next thing I knew we were in bed. I don't know what I was thinking. A few weeks later, I was spending every morning in the bathroom puking my guts up and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. It finally occurred to me that I was pregnant."  
  
"What did Jack say when you told him?" Michelle asked as she squeezed Kate's hand.  
  
Kate took a drink from her coffee without answering. The silence between them was deafening.  
  
"Kate, does Jack know about this baby?" Tony asked. "Jack was at our going away party a couple of weeks ago. I know he keeps his personal life pretty quiet, but I think he would have told us that he was going to be a father and that you were living in Seattle."  
  
Kate took a breath and looked directly at Tony. "No, Tony, Jack doesn't know. And I hope I can count on you two to keep it that way."  
  
"Kate, you're carrying his child. He deserves to know." Tony said, still shocked that Kate would keep the pregnancy a secret from Jack.  
  
"Why? So he can have a picture of the baby on his desk while he misses every important milestone in the child's life like he did Kim's. I'm not going to spend my life explaining why daddy didn't make it to the Little League game or the school play or the awards ceremony. I don't want to hear Jack's lame excuses about how he just couldn't get away or it would blow his cover if he left at that particular time. I lived with that for two and a half years and I won't subject my child to a lifetime of it."  
  
"You say 'my child' like you conceived the baby by yourself, Kate." Tony said raising his voice slightly. "That baby is only half yours. The other half of the DNA belongs to Jack and he has a right to know about this."  
  
"Jack gave up his rights seven months ago when he deposited that DNA and then walked out on me." Kate said sounding bitter for the first time.  
  
Tony sighed and decided it was time Kate knew the truth about Jack's undercover assignment at the time he left her. "What Jack did to you was wrong. I'm not going to defend him, but the last few months have been hard for him."  
  
"Hard for him!" Kate exclaimed. "Hard for him! How dare you, Tony? And you think they've been a picnic for me?"  
  
Michelle flashed a look at Tony that told him to let her take over. "Kate," Michelle started in a far gentler tone that the one Tony was using, "that wasn't what Tony meant. What he's trying to tell you is that while Jack was working undercover for the last year, he was infiltrating a drug cartel in Mexico. In order to keep his cover, he developed a heroin addiction. When you say he 'slept like he was drugged', he probably was. He was probably coming down from the heroin." She paused. "Kate, I think a lot of Jack's behavior in the last year is explainable. He finished drug rehab a few weeks ago. He's really doing well. He looks better than he's looked in years. He's back at work. I think you should call him. I really think he would want to know."  
  
Kate was obviously taken aback by this news. She shook her head. "I had no idea he was addicted to heroin. That explains a lot, but if he's back at CTU, nothing will change. CTU is his love; everyone else has to be satisfied to be a lower priority for Jack. I can't accept that for myself and I won't accept it for the baby."  
  
Michelle and Tony knew they weren't going to change Kate's mind at this point, so neither of them replied. The three of them fell silent, each of them drinking coffee that had become unpleasantly cool while they talked.  
  
"How's Kim doing?" Kate asked changing the subject.  
  
"She seems to be doing well. Did you know that she was dating Chase?" Michelle answered.  
  
Kate smiled. "No, when did that start? More importantly, how did Jack take it?"  
  
"Oh, about as badly as you would have expected." Tony said with a dry laugh.  
  
"He's fine with it now." Michelle interjected. "Actually, they are living together. Did you hear what happened to Chase?" Michelle asked, her voice a bit more serious now.  
  
"No, is he okay?"  
  
Tony explained how Jack had been forced to cut off Chase's hand in order to prevent the virus from being released. "He's doing well, though. He's going for physical therapy every day. Kim is living with his and helping him take care of his daughter." (Michelle broke in and explained about Angela.)  
  
"The two of them seem very happy. He will never have full use of his hand, but apparently he'll have enough to get by. Chase should go back to work in another couple of months. He's transferring out of CTU to another department." Tony finished.  
  
They talked a few minutes longer, exchanged phone numbers and addresses and then walked back to their cars. The rain had slowed to a drizzle and they walked slowly while they talked. They arrived at Kate's car first. Tony put the bags in the trunk while Kate and Michelle discussed plans to get together soon. Michelle and Tony both encouraged Kate to call them if she needed anything.  
  
As Kate got behind the wheel, she looked up at Tony. "I know you and Jack are friends and you feel a deep sense of responsibility to him after... after what happened to Teri, but I am begging you not to tell him about this. Please Tony, respect my wishes. Maybe I'll decide to tell him eventually, but I can't handle it emotionally right now."  
  
"Kate, I still think you should tell him. You're right, I do feel a sense of responsibility toward Jack." He looked at the ground. "Actually, I'm not sure that's as much responsibility as it is guilt. But I won't tell him against your wishes. You and your father have been too good to me for me to betray you. If you hadn't arranged to have Marc defend me, I'm sure I'd be sitting in prison right now. I can't ever repay that. Jack won't hear about this from me unless you want me to tell him."


	6. Cold November

Chapter 6: Cold November  
  
Two weeks later  
  
3:30am  
  
The shrill sound of the alarm clock interrupted Jack's thoughts. He wasn't asleep; he hadn't been asleep in over an hour. It was almost a relief when the alarm clock went off; at least now he had an excuse to get out of bed.  
  
It was unusually cold for the first week of November in LA. He shivered as he got out of bed but he wasn't sure if that shiver was from the cold outside or the cold he felt within him. It was Friday and he should be looking forward to the weekend, but he had to survive today before he could consider the weekend. That may be easier said than done.  
  
Jack had gotten back from rehab six weeks earlier amazed at how good an experience it had been. He had only gone because he had no real choice. Now he was happy that he had done it. On the drive to San Luis Obispo he made up his mind that he was not going to open up to anyone but after a week of fighting it, he let go. He talked about Teri and Kim and Nina and Kate. He talked about all of his friends and colleagues that had died along the way while he had defied the odds. He talked about the people he had killed and the people, like George Mason, who had saved his life. And he talked about the guilt. He felt so guilty about so many things.  
  
Life, Jack decided, was going to change when he got back to LA. The first thing he was going to do when he got home was to call Kate. He loved her and he wanted her back if she would have him. He knew that was probably a long shot after how he had treated her. He cringed when he thought about the last time he saw her, their last night together.  
  
He had only gone to her house to tell her he was leaving. He had rehearsed the speech a hundred times in his head. He would accept all of the blame; tell her she was perfect, because she was. Then she walked out of the bathroom in that robe. It wasn't even tied; she was just holding it closed. Her hair was still damp and hung neatly trimmed just below her jaw line. Oh, God, she was beautiful. She was so beautiful. Her skin was so soft and she smelled so good. He lost control. He remembered throwing her to the bed like some kind of animal, like some kind of vicious rapist. He knew that wasn't really true. He hadn't raped her. She returned his kisses and picked up his rhythm and later she had climbed on top of him, but he knew he had hurt her when she got up later. She stepped out of bed so gingerly. He wanted to go pick her up and put her back in bed and tell her he loved her. But instead, he told her he was leaving. Next to burying his wife, leaving Kate was the hardest thing he had ever done.  
  
Now he was going to call her on the pretense of picking up his jacket. When he got to her house he would confess everything to her and ask her to take him back. He prayed that she would.  
  
He walked back into his condo, dropped his suitcase and reached for the phone. He dialed Kate's office. It was 2:30, he knew she would still be at work.  
  
"Warner Enterprises. How may I direct your call?"  
  
"Kate Warner, please."  
  
"I'm sorry, Ms. Warner isn't at this office any longer, sir. I can transfer you to Mr. Wilson's office, he replaced Ms. Warner, or I can transfer you to our Seattle office and they can put you in touch with Ms. Warner. Which would you prefer."  
  
"I'm sorry" Jack stammered. "Did you say Kate doesn't work in Los Angeles any more? When did that happen? Is it temporary? When will she be back?"  
  
"She left a couple of weeks ago, sir. She is managing that office. Would you like me to transfer you to Seattle, sir?"  
  
"Ah, ah... no, ah no, thank you."  
  
"I can transfer you to Mr. Wilson's office."  
  
"Ah, no, thank you. I'm an old friend of Kate's." Jack didn't know why he felt a need to offer some excuse. "I was in town and thought I could catch up with her. I didn't realize she was gone. Thank you."  
  
He hung up the phone and dropped to the nearest chair. He felt as if he had been hit with a brick. She not only didn't want him back, but she had gone all the way to Seattle to avoid him. Seattle, he thought. Kate was a company vice president. Bob was expected to name her chief operating officer within the next few years. Kate running the Seattle office was laughable. It would have been like him running a two man sheriff's station in the Outback.  
  
Jack sat with his head in his hands for a long time. He had to regroup, rethink things. He immediately wanted to shoot up again. Only heroin could kill the pain he was feeling right now. He went to the closet to retrieve his stash. "Son of a bitch!" he spat as he remembered that he had told Kim where it was so she would get rid of it. He stood leaning against the closet door for a long time. He needed heroin. He grabbed his keys and a jacket and trotted to his car.  
  
Jack drove to one of the corners he had used for the last year. He recognized all of the kids on the street. Their lives had gone no where in the last year either, he thought. None of them was over 18; he wondered how many of them would live to see 21. Jack slowed down and put down his passenger side window. One of the kids put his head in. They spoke only a few words. The kid let Jack negotiate the price down without putting up much of a fight. Probably weak shit, Jack thought. That was okay, he hadn't had anything in a month. He had to be careful or he would overdose and someone would find him dead the next day.  
  
Overdose. Death. The words played in Jack's mind. They bounced around: Death Overdose Overdose Death. It seemed so perfect, such an easy way out. Just shoot up a big bolus of smack and go to sleep. All the pain would be gone. He would be with Teri again; with Ryan, with Claudia, with George. Damn George Mason, he thought. If Mason hadn't snuck on the plane three years ago, he would be dead now. Why did he let Mason talk him out of it? The speech Mason made sounded so good at the time. All the talk about 'going back down there...that would take real courage'. It was all bullshit.  
  
He practically ran into his condo and locked the door. He sat at the kitchen table to mix the drug when his phone rang. He ignored it at first, but the ringing was distracting him.  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"Hi Dad! Welcome home." Kim sounded so happy. "I called a few minutes ago, but you didn't answer. Did you get the message I left" Jack looked up to see the message light blinking.  
  
"I hadn't seen it yet, Honey. I just walked in the door."  
  
"I've missed you so much Dad. I'm making some dinner. Would you like to come over and eat with us?"  
  
"I'm a little tired right now, Sweetheart." He lied. "Maybe we could do it tomorrow night." He instantly regretted saying that.  
  
"Oh, okay" Kim said, all of the happiness dropping out of her voice. "Okay. If you're tired, just get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, right? I'll call you tomorrow morning."  
  
"Wait, Honey" Jack stopped her from hanging up. She broke his heart. She sounded the same way when she was a little girl and he missed her dance recital. She tried not to sound upset, but there was no hiding the sadness in her voice. "Do I have time for an hour nap before dinner?"  
  
"Sure" she answered her voice brightening, "we probably won't eat before 7 o'clock."  
  
"Sounds great, Baby. I'll see you then. If you need anything, call me, I'll pick it up on my way over."  
  
He went back to the table and the task at hand. The heroin was mixed; he just had to draw it up. He picked up the syringe just as the phone rang again. Kim, he thought.  
  
He reached for the phone without looking at the caller ID. "Hi Honey, what did you need?"  
  
"Well hello, Jack. You've never called me 'Honey' before." said a low, sexy voice that Jack recognized immediately as belonging to Nicole Duncan.  
  
"Hey, Nicole. I thought you were Kim. What's up?"  
  
"I heard you were coming home today and I thought maybe we could go out for dinner and celebrate."  
  
"I'd like that, but I'm having dinner with Kim and Chase tonight." He answered.  
  
"I'm willing to take a rain check. How about tomorrow night?"  
  
Jack knew Nicole well enough to know that she was not going to take 'no' for an answer. "Tomorrow night would be fine."  
  
"Good, how about if I pick you up around 8 o'clock. I love that little Italian place that is a couple of blocks from your condo."  
  
"I'll be ready. See you tomorrow." If any other woman had called and asked him to dinner, he would have thought she was coming on to him, but he knew Nicole's sexual preference; she certainly wasn't coming on to him.  
  
He again hung up the phone and reached for the syringe. He drew the straw colored liquid into the syringe and looked for a tourniquet. For the third time, the phone rang. "Damn it!" he shouted. He composed himself quickly before answering.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Jack, How you doing? Kim told me you would be home today. I thought I'd try and call you."  
  
"Hi, Tony. Thanks for calling. I'm doing okay. How are you? How's Michelle?"  
  
"We're fine. Jack, I can't thank you enough for talking to Hammond. The plea deal I ended up with is incredible. I feel like I hit the lottery. I went from thinking I would be executed to being virtually free in a matter of a couple of weeks. It's fantastic. Now all I have to do is finish the training manual and I am free and I have you to thank for it."  
  
"What are you going to do then?" Jack asked.  
  
"I'm looking for a job. I've had a couple of computer security companies contact me. There is one in Seattle that develops security software that I'm really interested in. I got permission to leave LA for a couple of days to interview with them."  
  
Seattle, Jack thought, probably no connection. "That's great, Tony. Let me know how it works out. By the way, has Michelle talked to Kate recently?"  
  
"Actually, she hasn't. We tried to call her a couple of weeks ago. You know, Bob Warner footed most of the bill for my attorney, Michelle called Kate to thank her, but Kate didn't answer. Michelle left a message, but Kate didn't respond. I called Bob a couple of days later and he didn't mention Kate. I don't know what's up with her. Were you trying to get in touch with her?"  
  
"No" Jack lied. "I just wondered how she was doing."  
  
"Michelle and I were hoping the three of us could get together for dinner after we get back from Seattle. We were thinking next Wednesday. How does that sound?"  
  
"Sounds great. It'll be good to see you. Call me when you get back."  
  
Jack walked back to the kitchen table. The allure of the heroin was gone. His daughter had called, his friends had called. They loved him and cared about him. It was time to move on, go back to work, live his life. He would have to live it without Kate, but he could accept that. He picked up the syringe full of heroin and squirted it down the sink. Like he told Kim, he was tired and he was going to take a nap. Then he was going to spend the evening with his daughter.  
  
Jack went back to work the next Monday and, as always, became deeply immersed in it. Two hours after arriving at CTU, he was briefed on a large terrorist cell that had been identified in LA. Hammond had a group working on the initial stages of a plan to bring it down. Jack spent countless hours with the team developing the early concepts into a workable plan. There were 27 men in the cell housed at four different locations around the city. Six weeks later, Jack stood in his bedroom looking out into the cold darkness knowing that this was the day he would bring down a significant piece of a worldwide terrorist organization.  
  
4:30am  
  
It was still dark when Jack stood in the conference room for the final briefing of the team leaders. The locations were already being watched by the forward team and snipers were now in place on neighboring rooftops. The four teams would assemble at 5:00. They had to take down the four locations simultaneously or the members would have a chance to tip each other off. If that happened Jack's teams could be ambushed. It had to be coordinated perfectly.  
  
Jack was riding with and leading the Alpha team. They were taking down the largest location. The forward team confirmed that ten men were in the three apartments that made up the second floor of a run down building not far from the port. As they usually did, the suspects met late at night and returned to their lair around 2am. This morning was no exception, so they could be expected to sleep through 9:30 or 10 as they usually did. Again, Jack shivered against the cold. Even with a flack jacket under his lined CTU jacket he was cold.  
  
I need Tony running tactical, Jack thought. Nobody could run tactical like Tony, especially when Michelle backed him up. Adam would run tactical today with Kim and Chloe backing him up. Everything they knew they learned from Tony, but Jack knew Tony could do it better.  
  
Jack sighed, Tony was in Seattle now. No longer a government agent, he now worked in private industry and from what Jack could tell, he was enjoying it. Jack missed Tony for a lot of reasons. Tony was one of his only real friends. Tony understood him. He respected Jack's silence, never tried to break down Jack's wall. He had talked to Tony earlier in the week. He and Michelle were doing well and were happy in Seattle. Jack had never mentioned to them that Kate was in Seattle. He wasn't sure if they knew or not but he obviously wasn't supposed to know so he chose to stay quiet on the subject. Still Jack thought Tony had been a little quieter than usual in their recent conversation. Tony normally wore his heart on his sleeve but in this conversation he seemed to be holding back, hiding something. Of course, Jack was the king of hiding emotions and keeping secrets, so if Tony wanted to keep something to himself, Jack needed to respect that. He did have to wonder if it had anything to do with Kate.  
  
"Baker, what's your ETA?" Jack called over the radio.  
  
"Seven minutes" was the reply from Agent Baker who was leading the Beta team which was taking the second largest cell. Baker had been with Jack on several important missions and had been his right hand man in planning this one. He knew that if today went as planned he would not only receive a commendation, but he would likely be promoted to Director of Field Operations, the position Jack held just over two months ago.  
  
"I copy. Hammerman, Campbell, what are your ETAs?"  
  
Hammerman was leading the Charlie team while Campbell led the Delta team. Both confirmed that they were seven minutes from their destination.  
  
5:45am  
  
Jack confirmed that the teams were in place and ready. Across Los Angeles four assault teams wearing helmets and body armor, carrying shields and automatic weapons fired tear gas canisters in the windows, blew open entrances to four buildings and stormed them. The noise at the sites was deafening: explosions and shouts and gun fire, breaking glass and stomping boots; sirens and helicopters added to the fray. Agents moved in every direction and the terrorist operatives scattered like cockroaches.  
  
The assault seemed like hours to those involved, but took under twenty minutes for the entire operation. Jack started getting situation reports from Adam. The Delta team had taken the smallest location. They reported that all three of their suspects were alive and in custody. One had minor injuries and all of the agents were fine. Baker's team reported in next. They had seven hostiles in custody and two dead. Those two tried to get out via a fire escape. They fired several rounds at agents and were both killed by snipers. One agent was down, a gunshot wound to the leg. He was being transported to the nearest hospital and should be fine. Hammerman reported that all five of his suspects were accounted for. Two had non-life threatening injuries, two were cuffed and already in the process of being transported to CTU and the last was dead. One of his agents injured his knee tackling a suspect. Jack's Alpha team had been successful as well. They killed three of the ten operatives and had the other seven in custody, one of which had serious injuries. One of his agents had a graze wound on his arm, but otherwise the operation went off without a hitch.  
  
Jack drove back to CTU satisfied with the outcome. His group traveled the longest distance and was last to arrive at CTU. The Beta team had already moved all of their prisoners into holding areas. The Charlie and Delta teams were just starting the process. Agent Baker walked out of CTU toward Jack's car. The two stood in the cool dawn discussion the operation. As they talked, Jack absently removed his flack jacket. After all of the action and the adrenaline rush, he finally felt warm and was sweating under the weight of the vest.  
  
7:28am  
  
Jack and Baker watched as the parade of prisoners was moved into CTU. "That was the easy part," Jack said as he smiled, "now we have to spend the next 15-20 hours interrogating the bastards." Baker laughed and they walked toward CTU.  
  
They had only taken a few steps when they heard Hammerman shout "GUN!" Jack and Baker both drew their weapons as they turned. They heard the gunfire and dropped to a crouch. One of the injured prisoners who had been shackled to a stretcher by his ankles only had lunged forward and grabbed Campbell around the knees as the agent walked past. Campbell went down and the injured man reached for his holster. He was able to unsnap it and get the gun before anyone could stop him.  
  
Jack didn't have a clear shot. Baker did and was able to get off two shots, but not before the gunman had fired several rounds. After Baker's second shot the prisoner fell in a heap, half on the stretcher and half on the pavement. Campbell kicked the gun from his reach and Hammerman jumped on him to make sure he didn't move as they checked for a pulse.  
  
"He's dead." Hammerman shouted. Campbell reached over to take a pulse and confirmed it.  
  
Baker heaved a sigh of relief and was about to stand when a sound caught his attention. It was kind of a weak cough just to his left. He turned, "Oh my God" he gasped. "We have an officer down!" Baker shouted emphatically into his radio. "We have an officer down in the west parking lot. We need medics now." He shouted putting an emphasis on 'now'.  
  
"Jack. Jack, can you hear me? Jack can you hear me?" 


	7. Jubilation and Tears

Chapter 7: Jubilation and Tears  
  
**11:33am  
**  
Michelle knocked and breezed into Tony's office as if walking on air. "Hey you, what are your lunch plans?" She said as she put the heels of her hands on his desk and leaned forward to kiss him.  
  
"I don't have any." Tony answered with a smile.  
  
Michelle stood up, tossed her head and struck a regal pose. "I thought you might like to have lunch with the newest up and coming business woman in Seattle."  
  
"That would be great. Can you put me in touch with her? I hope she's pretty." He teased her.  
  
"Tony!" Michelle said as she lobbed her keys playfully at him. He caught them with one hand as he stood and walked around the desk to her.  
  
"I guess that means you got the contract."  
  
"Oh, Tony, I'm so excited. I know in the scheme of things that this isn't a big deal. It won't exactly pay the mortgage, but it's my first contract."  
  
He took her in his arms and kissed her. "I'm so proud of you, Sweetheart. You've wanted to start this business for years and now you've done it. I don't care if you're not paying the mortgage. I'm making twice what I made at CTU, so we can handle this. And by the way," he leaned back and sat on the edge of his desk and pulled her toward him, his arms around her waist as he looked eye to eye with her, "I think I owe you a big 'I told you so'."  
  
Michelle smiled and rolled her eyes, she put her arms around his neck. "Go ahead, say it."  
  
"You were so pessimistic, but I knew when you left the house this morning that you were going to come home with a signed contract." He kissed her lightly. "I knew he would take one look at you and fall in love with you just like I did."  
  
"I don't think he fell in love with me, but he obviously liked the service I'm providing."  
  
"Honey, I like the 'service' you provide, too" Tony said, doing a bad Groucho Marx impression.  
  
"Tony!" She pushed him away feigning shock.  
  
He reached out and pulled her back. She leaned in close and they kissed.  
  
"Mmmm" Tony breathed. "Let's talk more about those services. I really don't have any lunch plans."  
  
"Save it til we get home, Honey. I didn't eat breakfast, I want lunch." She said as they kissed again.  
  
"Mr. Almeida." The voice of Tony's secretary interrupted their moment together.  
  
"Yes, Ruthie." Tony said as he gave and exasperated look toward the ceiling.  
  
"I'm sorry to disturb you. I have a Chloe O'Brien on the phone for you."  
  
"Chloe O'Brien?"  
  
"Yes, sir, Chloe O'Brien. I would have taken a message, but she said it was urgent."  
  
Michelle stepped back as Tony stood and walked around his desk. "That's okay, Ruthie, put her through."  
  
"An urgent call from Chloe? That doesn't sound good, Tony." Michelle commented as she followed Tony behind his desk and stood behind his chair.  
  
"Ya, I know" he replied solemnly. He hit the button for the speaker phone. "Hi Chloe, it's Tony. Michelle is here with me."  
  
"Hi Chloe." Michelle said anxiously.  
  
"Hey, Tony, hey Michelle." Chloe answered, her voice flat and expressionless. "I'm sorry to call you like this, but I thought you should hear this from me before it makes the news."  
  
"What's going on, Chloe?" Tony asked.  
  
"Jack led a predawn assault on a major terrorist cell in LA this morning. The raid was a success but when they were bringing the prisoners back here for interrogation, one of them wasn't secured well and he grabbed Eric Campbell's gun. Before they could subdue the guy, he shot Jack."  
  
"Oh my God, Chloe! Where...where was he hit? Is he going to be okay?" Tony stammered.  
  
Michelle felt a wave of emotion roll over her as it had when Jack called her just two and a half months ago to say that Tony had been shot. Her heart was pounding and she felt cold and clammy. She held onto Tony's chair to keep her balance. Suddenly it wasn't Chloe on the phone telling them Jack had been shot, but Jack on the phone telling her Tony had been shot. She could hear his voice telling her that Tony was still alive, on his way to the hospital. She shook her head as if to break the spell and focus on Chloe's voice.  
  
"He was hit once in the chest and twice in the abdomen."  
  
"Why wasn't he wearing a vest?" Tony interrupted.  
  
"He was wearing it during the assault. He took it off in the parking lot while he was talking to Baker." Tony and Michelle both cringed. Tony couldn't count how many times he had walked onto that same parking lot during a prisoner transfer. No only was he not wearing a flack jacket but he was unarmed as well, since he usually secured his sidearm in his desk when he was at the office. It could have been me, Tony thought. Any one of those times, it could have happened to me. Why did it happen to Jack?  
  
"I just got off the phone with Kim." Chloe's voice broke into his thoughts. "They stabilized him enough to take him into surgery about an hour ago, but they didn't paint a very rosy picture. The bullet in his chest ricocheted off of his ribs. Both lungs collapsed and it looks like the bullet nicked his heart. One of the other bullets is lodged next to his spine. They aren't sure what they are going to do about that one or if it will cause any permanent damage to his spinal cord." She paused and sighed. "I'm sorry I had to call you, but I thought you should know."  
  
"Don't apologize, Chloe. We appreciate the call. Jack's a good friend." He paused shaking his head, not knowing what to say next. "What hospital did they take him to?"  
  
"He's at UCLA Medical Center. I guess that is some comfort. They have the most experience with these kinds of injuries."  
  
Tony agreed and asked Chloe to keep them updated, thanked her again for calling and they said their goodbyes  
  
Tony stood and hugged Michelle "You're shaking, Honey." He said and he pulled her closer.  
  
"Oh, Tony, I just had the most vivid flashback to when you were shot. I was so scared. Now it's Jack. I know just how Kim feels right now." Michelle told him. They stood holding each other for a long time. Neither said a word, both praying silently for their friend.  
  
Tony broke away and shook his head angrily. "Jack doesn't deserve this. How much can one person take? His wife was murdered. He was ordered to kill Ryan. He had to cut off his partner's hand. He had to detox from heroin. Now he's been shot. When does it stop?" He continued ranting. "And Kim! What about that poor kid? How old is she? All of 20? She was kidnapped and had to sit in the next room while her mother was being raped. Then her mother was killed. She's been taking care of Chase and his daughter. Now she could lose her father. How much more does that family have to go through?" He sat down and put his elbows on the desk and head in his hands. Michelle knew he was crying; she saw an occasional tear trickle down his cheek. She said nothing, but stood silently by his side and stroked his hair.  
  
She gave him a few minutes to compose himself then said softly, "Tony, we have to tell Kate. Even if this doesn't make national news, her father is going to hear it in LA."  
  
"I was thinking the same thing." Tony said. "I guess we can catch her at her office. I don't want to do this over the phone." Michelle agreed. She picked up her bag and he grabbed his coat and keys. They walked out of his office taking a second for Tony to tell Ruthie they were going out for a while. They drove to Kate's office in silence, neither one of them knowing how they were going to break the news to her.  
  
**12:21pm  
**  
Tony and Michelle stood nervously outside of Kate's office. They gave her secretary their names and asked if they could see her.  
  
"Kate," the secretary said through the intercom "I have Tony and Michelle Almeida here. They don't have an appointment but were hoping you would see them."  
  
"Of course, send them in, Grace." Kate answered.  
  
"Go ahead in." Grace told them. They thanked her and Tony knocked lightly on Kate's door before entering.  
  
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Kate asked with a smile. "Want to get some lunch? I'm always ready to eat these days." She stopped to see why neither of them was answering. One look at their solemn faces as they slowly crossed her office and she knew they had bad news. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"  
  
"Kate, why don't you come over here and sit with me on the couch." Michelle suggested as she walked toward the couch.  
  
Kate stood slowly from her desk chair, Tony was already behind her. He put one hand on the small of her back and the other on her arm to direct her toward Michelle.  
  
"Oh, God" the panic rose inside of Kate. "Oh, no. It's Jack, isn't it? Something's happened to Jack." She looked back and forth between Tony and Michelle hoping one of them would say Jack was alright. "Tony? Michelle? Please tell me Jack is okay."  
  
Michelle took a breath and closed her eyes as Tony helped Kate onto the couch. "Kate, Jack was shot this morning. He's alive, but he's in surgery right now." Michelle said in the calmest voice she could muster.  
  
Kate dropped her head into her hands and leaned toward Michelle who hugged her. Tony held her shoulders to steady her. She was silent, her body shaking. She was too stunned to cry. "How bad... how bad was he hurt?"  
  
"From what we could gather from Chloe, he's pretty badly injured. I'm sorry, Kate." Tony spoke softly.  
  
"But he's going to be okay, right? He's not going to..." She couldn't finish the sentence. She looked at Michelle. "Oh, God, no. He can't...No, no...he can't die, Michelle. He can't."  
  
"Oh, Kate, I know how you feel. I know how scared you are. The doctors are doing everything they can for Jack. All you can do now is pray."  
  
Kate stood up suddenly. "I'm not waiting here. I have to go. I have to go to LA. I've got to see him." She went to her desk and pushed her intercom button. "Grace, get my father on the line right away. I've got to talk to him."  
  
Bob Warner was on the phone in a matter of minutes. He told Kate that the shooting was just announced on the noon news. The hospital was listing Jack's condition as critical and unstable. He offered to send the company jet to pick up Kate; Tony and Michelle were more that welcome to join her. They both agreed that they would like to be there to offer support not only to Kate, but to Kim as well.  
  
After some phone calls back and forth, Bob's pilot, Charlie Horn, said he could have the plane ready soon and would be able to pick them up at a small airport outside of Seattle at 3:30. Bob would meet them at the airport in Los Angeles and take them directly to UCLA Medical Center. The three parted company temporarily. Tony would have to stop by the office and explain his early departure, then he and Michelle would go home to pack. They would pick up Kate at 2:30 and head for the airport.  
  
Kate drove home in a complete fog. She told Tony and Michelle that she was fine to drive, but she really wasn't and she knew she was lucky to get home safely. Time seemed to stand still. She tried to get a weekend bag together, but found it nearly impossible. All she could think about was Jack.  
  
She loved him so much. She had convinced herself over the last few months that she no longer loved him, but in truth, she had never stopped loving him. Her reaction when Tony and Michelle gave her the news was testimony to that. Now she could be losing him forever. She was 30 weeks pregnant with his child. A child she had refused to tell him about. Now he could die without ever knowing about the baby. Why didn't she tell him? Maybe he would have left CTU if he knew he was going to be a father again. Maybe he wouldn't have gone out with the assault team. It was all pure speculation, but what else did she have left at this point. Everything now was just that: speculation. Whether Jack would live or die was anyone's guess. 


	8. Waiting

Chapter 8: Waiting  
  
**8:10pm  
**  
Tony and Michelle walked into the waiting room outside the surgical intensive care unit at UCLA Medical Center. Kate thought it would be best if she waited until Tony and Michelle talked to Kim and made sure that she wanted to see Kate. Kim stood alone on the other side of the room looking out a window as the lights of the city began to shine over the dusk that now covered the region. Family members of other patients were scattered throughout the room. Some were talking quietly or reading, some were sleeping, others were pacing, still others just stared into space waiting for word on their loved one.  
  
"Kim" Tony said just loud enough to get her attention.  
  
Kim turned quickly at the sound of her name. "Michelle, Tony, what are you doing here? You came all the way from Seattle? Thank you so much." She ran to them and hugged Michelle hard. As she backed away she looked up at Tony. "Oh, Tony" she said just barely above a whisper. He put his arms around her as she burst into tears.  
  
Kim had been very close to Tony since her mother died. He was there for both Kim and Jack in the days and weeks after Teri's death. He had broken the news to Teri's parents when Jack was unable to and was there almost constantly through the first few days and for Teri's funeral. As the initial shock wore off, Jack began to withdraw from everyone including Kim. For her part, Kim started to blame Jack for her mother's death. She could no longer communicate with Jack and found herself relying more and more on Tony. She could call him any time and he would listen to her. He was much like a big brother to her, so his presence here with her now was comforting. She stepped away and wiped her eyes. She took both of their hands and again thanked them for coming.  
  
"How's you dad doing?" Michelle asked.  
  
"They said he's holding his own. That's as much as we can expect right now."  
  
"Where's Chase?" Tony asked. He was surprised to find Kim alone.  
  
"He went home to put Angela to bed. He'll be back in the morning. He wanted me to come home and get some sleep. He said they'd call me if anything changed, but I feel better if I stay close by."  
  
The three of them sat in nearby chairs. "Kim" Michelle started, "we brought someone else who would like to wait with you, if that's okay."  
  
"Who?" Kim asked.  
  
"Kate." Tony responded.  
  
"Kate Warner? How did you get in touch with Kate? She left LA a couple of months ago, I have no idea where she went."  
  
"She lives in Seattle. We ran into her there. We hope you don't mind, but we thought she should know about your dad." Michelle told her.  
  
"That's fine, I'm glad you told her. Where is she? Tell her to come in." Tony left the room and returned seconds later with Kate.  
  
Kim stood, her mouth gaping open, unable to speak as Kate entered the room. "Oh, Kim," Kate said as she hugged her. "I'm so sorry about your dad."  
  
Kim pulled back and looked at Kate again in disbelief. "Kate, you're..."  
  
"Pregnant" Kate supplied the missing word. "Before you ask..."  
  
"No, you don't have to, Kate. I know it's my father's baby. I know you wouldn't have cheated on him. I know you wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't his baby, but he's never said a word to me about this."  
  
Kate bowed her head and put her fingertips against her forehead. She squeezed her eyes shut not knowing what to say next.  
  
"He doesn't know, does he, Kate?"  
  
Kate shook her head, tears tracing silent paths down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Kim. I feel like such a fool. I didn't find out until after he left for his undercover assignment. I know should have told him when he came back, but I couldn't. I just ran away; I didn't know what to say."  
  
"Kate, it's okay." Kim comforted her. "I know my dad didn't treat you very well in the end, but I want you to know, he still loves you. He still talks about you and he's told me that breaking up with you was one of the biggest mistakes he's ever made. I told him he should try and get in touch with you." Kim smiled wryly. "I mean, he's a spy, right? He shouldn't have any trouble finding you." Kate smiled back. "He felt you really wanted to be through with him if you were willing to leave LA, so he didn't look you up."  
  
She took Kate's hand and drew her over toward the chairs. "Anyway, you're here now, that's all that matters."  
  
"Have you been in to see him yet?" Kate asked her.  
  
"Yeah, they let me in for about 15 minutes after he came out of surgery. Oh, God, he looks awful. I guess I wasn't prepared for it. He's got tubes and wires and IV lines coming out of everywhere. He looks so helpless. I've never seen him helpless before, even when my mom died. He was withdrawn, he was angry, but he never seemed helpless to me."  
  
"Was he awake at all?" Kate asked wanting to know as many details as possible.  
  
"No, they are keeping him heavily sedated. The doctor said it was best if he doesn't wake up for at least a couple of days."  
  
"So, how long was he in surgery, Kim?" Tony asked.  
  
"Oh, God, it felt like forever." She sighed. "It was about five hours. They had more to do, but he was too unstable. So they did what they could and then brought him to intensive care. He's pretty much a mess." She started to explain what the doctors had told her. "One bullet passed through his liver and hit a major blood vessel. That one did a lot of damage, but they were able to repair most of it. They had to remove one kidney. When they went in, they were hoping to be able to salvage it, but they couldn't. Both lungs were hit and they collapsed. I can't even remember all that they told me."  
  
"Chloe mentioned that one of the bullets might have hit his heart." Michelle said.  
  
"It nicked the sac around the heart. That didn't seem to be a real big deal compared to everything else." Kim told her.  
  
"Chloe also said there was a bullet lodged near his spine." Tony commented.  
  
"It's still there. He was just too unstable to remove it. For now they have a special brace around his neck to keep him from moving his head at all. They said if he stabilizes in the next few days, they can take him back to the operating room to remove it. Right now he seems to be able to move both arms, but he isn't moving his legs. The doctor said that was probably due to swelling around the spinal cord caused by the bullet. They're giving him drugs to reduce the swelling and hope that they might see some signs of movement." She paused as her eyes filled with tears. "At this point I don't care about that, as long as he survives."  
  
Kate reached over and took her hand. "He's going to live, Honey. You can't think otherwise. He's so strong. He'll fight it. I know he will. You have to stay positive. That's all we have right now." The two of them sat holding hands, united against an evil force that they were powerless to fight. Death was an enemy so cruel, so cunning that it took no shape or form. It crept up on its victims, sometimes unexpectedly, and took them from the people they loved, the people who counted on them, the people who laughed with them, the people who needed them. Only Jack could fight this villain. Kate and Kim would have to sit helplessly and watch the struggle.  
  
**9:53pm**  
  
Tony and Michelle had just come back from getting coffee for everyone. They were all sitting quietly when a young nurse stepped into the waiting room and called Kim's name. Kim stood quickly. "Right here" she said to the nurse.  
  
"Hi, I'm Becky." The woman told her. "I'm going to be taking care of your dad over night."  
  
"Is my dad okay?" Kim asked anxiously.  
  
"His condition hasn't changed. I thought you might want to come in and sit with him for a little while. His nurse from the earlier shift said that he seemed to sense when you were in the room. His heart rate was better, his blood pressure was better. Some patients really do recognize family members even when they are unconscious or sedated. Your dad seems to be one of them."  
  
"You're kidding. All I did was stand there and cry. How did he know I was there?"  
  
"I bet you did more than that." Becky said gently. She was obviously used to talking to the family members of sick patients. "I bet you held his hand and talked to him. I'll bet you told him you loved him. Maybe you kissed him. Whatever you did, he knew you were there. He's sedated, but for all we know he can hear everything we are saying. Now, would you like to come in and see him?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd love to." She took a couple of steps toward the ICU doors then turned and looked at Kate. "Would you like to see him?"  
  
"Yes," she smiled and lowered her head, "the sign over there says 'family members only'. I'm not sure I qualify."  
  
Kim walked back to her and rested her hand on Kate's belly. She could feel her half-sibling kick and move. "I think you qualify as family, Kate." Michelle and Tony were both nodding at her, encouraging her.  
  
Kate looked up at the nurse who had taken a step back toward the group. Without asking any questions, she seemed to understand the situation. "You can come in, too, if you'd like." Kate stood and thanked her and followed her timidly through the ICU doors.  
  
Just as Kim had said about her first visit with Jack, Kate realized that she was not at all prepared for what she was about to see. She gasped as she walked into his room and held the door frame for a few seconds for support. She was instantly assaulted by the sights and sounds around her. She expected the room to be quiet, like a church with a few hushed whispering sounds coming from the machinery around Jack's bed. But she was wrong. She found the room noisy, incredibly noisy with constant repetitive sounds: the sound of the air going in and out of the ventilator that was keeping Jack breathing, the bubbling of the water in the two chest tubes that were trying to reinflate his collapsed lungs, the beeping of the monitors, and the hum of the IV pumps. The lighting was harsh and bright. Jack lay in the middle of the room, his eyes closed and his color pale, surrounded by equipment that was all meant to keep him alive, but seemed like so many robotic monsters. All had tubing and wires attaching themselves to his body like arms holding him down, keeping him in this world. One connected to the tube in his mouth, another in to the tube his nose; still others attached to the monitor leads on his chest and IV lines in his neck and his arms.  
  
Becky was a few steps ahead of Kate and Kim. She squeezed Jack's shoulder and spoke lightly to him. "Mr. Bauer, I have a couple of visitors for you. I'm going to step out for a few minutes and do some paperwork while they spend some time with you. I'll be back in a little while"  
  
Kim already seemed used to the situation and walked unflinchingly around the bed. She took her father's hand and squeezed it. "Hi, Daddy" she said as she stood on tiptoe and craned over the bedrail to kiss his forehead. "I love you." She stroked his blond hair. "Your nurse says your doing okay. Everybody is worried about you. I'm calling Chloe every couple of hours to give her updates so she can let everyone at CTU know how you're doing. Tony and Michelle were so worried that they came all the way from Seattle. They're in the waiting room." She kissed him again. "Daddy, I have someone else with me who came to see you. It's Kate. I knew you'd want to see her." Kim nodded at Kate, who stood a couple of feet back from the bed on the other side, to tell her to talk to him.  
  
Kate stepped forward and carefully touched his hand, almost afraid that she would hurt it. She, too, leaned over the bedrail and kissed his forehead. "Hey Sweetie" she whispered near his ear. "Jack, I love you so much. You have to fight this, Jack. I know it's hard, but you have to fight. Kim and I will be here to support you. We both love you. We just want you to get better."  
  
They were able to spend about a half hour with him before returning to the waiting room for the all night vigil. Kate protested, but Kim insisted that she go back to Bob Warner's house and get some rest. "My dad wouldn't want you to be taking any risks with your health or the baby's." Kim assured her. They finally agreed that Kim would spend the night at the hospital. Kate, Tony and Michelle would get some rest and return early the next morning and allow Kim to go home for a while.  
  
Jack's condition remained critical but he stabilized over the weekend. He was certainly not out of danger yet, but everyone was less anxious. By Sunday afternoon Tony and Michelle decided that they would return to Seattle. Kate would stay behind until Jack had shown some improvement. Before they left, Tony and Michelle asked if they could see Jack for just a few minutes. His nurse agreed and the two spent just a couple of minutes with their close friend offering him words of encouragement. As they left the room both of them feared that, although he had stabilized, they may never see him again.  
  
Kate and Kim became cautiously optimistic and the doctors seemed satisfied with his progress over the next few days. His heart rate and blood pressure had improved. He had not regained consciousness yet, nor was he moving his legs. He was still breathing with the help of a ventilator, but the doctors said that was to be expected.  
  
**One week later  
  
9:07am  
**  
On Friday, a week after the shooting, Kim walked into Jack's room. His eyes were closed and all of the tubes and wires were still in place. She had gotten used to all of that and barely took notice of it. His color is better, she thought. He almost looks comfortable for a change. "Hi Daddy" she said as she squeezed his hand. "You look better this morning." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "How do you feel?" As if to answer her he weakly squeezed her hand in return.  
  
"Daddy!" She gasped. "Oh my God! Daddy. You heard me. Can you open your eyes for me? Please, please, open your eyes."  
  
It was much later that day before Jack really woke up. By then Kate was at his side, too, kissing him and holding his hand and encouraging him. He seemed to recognize both Kim and Kate but it was hard to tell since the breathing tube in his mouth prevented him from talking.  
  
Jack drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the weekend. By Monday evening he was fully awake and clearly understood what was going on around him. Despite being unable to speak, he attempted to communicate with hand signals and he spelled words by tracing the letters onto Kim's or Kate's hands. The doctors were elated with his progress and decided to schedule the surgery to remove the remaining bullet for Friday morning, just two weeks from when he was shot and his life hung so tenuously in the balance. Until the surgery he would have to continue to lie flat. From that position, Kate knew he could not see her ever growing abdomen.  
  
**One week later  
  
8:41am  
**  
Kate and Kim sat silently in the waiting room as Jack was wheeled back into surgery. Neither of them spoke much, both hoping that the doctors would come back with good news, but fearing the possibilities. The best case scenario would be that he would regain full function of both legs; the worst, that he would regain none or even that in the process of removing the bullet, they would do additional damage and cause even more extensive paralysis. Reality probably lay somewhere in between.  
  
**11:30am  
**  
Almost three hours later the neurosurgeon walked into the waiting room to talk to the two women. He was happy with the results of the surgery. Jack had been stable throughout and could be expected to wake up later in the day. They hoped to be able to take him off of the ventilator in the next day or so let him breathe on his own. They would keep him lying flat with his neck immobilized for another three or four days. Then they would let him sit up. It would be several days before they would know how much, if any, function he would regain. They were relatively sure they had not caused any additional damage.  
  
Kim and Kate felt somewhat relieved. There were no guarantees, but at least the surgery was over, Jack was stable and he could move toward getting well regardless of his level of disability. They decided to go out and grab a quick bite to eat. They sat at a nearby deli both enjoying thick sandwiches. Kim sipped at her soda and looked across the table at Kate. "So, when are you going to tell him about the baby?"  
  
"I guess I have to tell him soon." Kate answered vaguely.  
  
"Kate, I have a favor to ask you. I'd like you to tell him before he sits up and can see for himself. I think you've kept it from him long enough."  
  
"I promise, I will tell him once the breathing tube is out of his mouth and he can talk. I guess it's not fair to spring this on him when he can't even respond. I guess I have to give him a chance to yell at me." Kate said smiling wryly.  
  
"He's not going to yell at you, Kate. He loves you too much. I think he's going to be happy about it." She paused to take another bite. She chewed slowly. Kate could tell she wanted to say something else. "He's going to want to get back together. How do you feel about that?"  
  
"Let's take this one step at a time. I can't think past how I'm going to tell him that he's going to be a father again." They finished their lunch in silence then walked back to the hospital. 


	9. Second Chances

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially to those who reviewed for the first time. We authors live for reviews, so keep 'em coming! So if you have been reading and haven't reviewed, let me know you're out there. _

Chapter 9: Second Chances

**Three days later**

**8:58am **

Kate walked quietly into Jack's hospital room and found him still sleeping. Now that he was out of intensive care and in a regular room she could pretty much come and go as she pleased. They really didn't control the visiting hours outside of the ICU. She stopped at his bedside and looked at his handsome face. He had lost weight over during the two and a half weeks since he was shot and his face was slightly drawn. He's still handsome, Kate thought. And he looked so much better now than he did just 24 hours ago. The tubes had been removed from his mouth and nose yesterday morning. Some of the IV lines had been taken out as well and most of the monitor leads were gone. Yet he still looked uncomfortable with the stiff brace around his neck. He hates sleeping on his back, she thought. This must be killing him. She wanted to kiss him, but decided that he needed his rest. She spoke with his nurse on the way in. He was complaining of some pain in the back of his legs early this morning. That was a good sign, she told Kate, even if he wasn't moving his legs. He hadn't felt any pain below his waist prior to removing the bullet. She had given him something for the pain, so Kate should expect him to be sleepy for a while.

Kate walked over to the chair near the window. She set her bag next to it and stood looking out the window for a few minutes. She almost hated the thought of sitting down. As much as she wanted to be close to Jack, her back was starting to bother her from sitting in uncomfortable hospital chairs all day, every day. This would be her last day at the hospital for about ten days. She was leaving for Seattle at 2 o'clock this afternoon. She really needed to get back to work tomorrow. She would work the rest of the week and through the weekend to catch up. Then she would only have to work Monday through Wednesday next week. Next Thursday was Thanksgiving and she had already made plans with Tony and Michelle for the three of them to fly back to LA on Wednesday evening and stay through Sunday.

She finally sat down and looked through her bag for something to do. After the first day of sitting in the waiting room, she learned to bring a bag full of things to keep her mind occupied: a paperback novel, a couple of magazines, some needlepoint, a newspaper. She pulled out the newspaper and turned to the LA Times crossword puzzle.

Kate had loved crossword puzzles since she was a little girl and would pretend to help her father with them. She liked the orderliness of crosswords puzzles. Each letter had to be in the right place to create words in two directions. One letter out of place and the order was disturbed. The letters in the puzzle were so linked and dependent upon one another. One letter written in the wrong place and the word was nonsensical, the perfect order was destroyed.

She liked her life to be the same way: in perfect order. And it had been, she thought, until Jack was shot. She had started to set down roots in Seattle. She bought an adorable house in a nice professional neighborhood with lots of families and children. She could have afforded more, but liked the idea of the baby growing up on a street with families rather than some stuffy rich neighborhood where a little boy couldn't throw a ball or ride a bike without disturbing the neighbor's perfectly groomed lawn. Her new neighbors were all nice and seemed accepting of her having a child on her own. She had become very comfortable with the idea of raising their child on her own. She had decorated the house nicely but with the knowledge that little hands would soon be touching everything and she didn't want to be one of those mothers who was constantly telling her child not to touch. She had agonized over the nursery and finally had it painted aqua and yellow and decorated it with tropical fish. It could be used for either a girl or a boy, but she remained convinced that the baby was a boy. She was thinking about buying a vacation cottage on Puget Sound. She and the baby could go there on weekends or for vacation. Her father could come up and visit and teach his grandson, his namesake, how to fish. She knew he would love that. When her sister Marie was getting married, Bob frequently mentioned to her how much he wanted grandchildren.

She had quickly gotten used to her job. It really was far less responsibility than she had in LA and she often did extra work for her father in her spare time. She was making some friends, mostly the women in the neighborhood and some from work and, of course, she always had Michelle and Tony. All in all, life was falling into place.

She had even gotten to the point where she didn't constantly think of Jack. She kept one picture of the two of them in her den, but otherwise there was no evidence that Jack Bauer had ever been a part of her life. That is, unless you considered the baby that was currently running a marathon inside of her. Kate shifted in her chair. Come on, kid, she thought, settle down for a few minutes.

Now her life was out of order. She knew once Jack woke up she had to tell him that she was pregnant. She couldn't go back to Seattle without telling him; that would simply be wrong. She tried to focus on the crossword puzzle but couldn't, her mind kept mulling over how to tell Jack that she was almost 32 weeks pregnant with his child. She gave up on the puzzle, the newspaper rustled louder than she intended as she folded it and put it back in her bag.

Jack woke up just a few minutes after Kate arrived, but she was sitting so quietly in the chair just feet from his bed that he was unaware of her presence. He stared at the ceiling; he couldn't see much else since he was unable to turn his head. If he moved his eyes far to the left, he could see the wall clock. It was 9:15. He wondered where Kate was. Kim told him last night that she was returning to work at CTU. They had been very generous with her leave time, but now that Jack was out of danger, they had asked her to come back. Kate will be here by 9 o'clock, Kim told him. It was 9:15, where was she? Traffic, he thought. Rush hour in LA was the worst. That was it, she was stuck in traffic. Who am I kidding? Kate knows the traffic pattern, if she wanted to be here by 9 she could have been. He had begun to doubt Kate's motives. When he first saw her through a hazy, drug induced fog in the ICU, he was thrilled. He thought she was a dream. Then she talked to him and kissed his face and he knew she was real. She was by his side every day just like Kim, offering encouragement. Once his senses cleared and he began to improve, he noticed that although she was attentive and loving, she seemed aloof, distant. Jack could read people well and even without being able to speak because of the tube in his throat, he could tell she was hiding something from him. She even stood a step or two away from the bed. Kim was always right there, against the side rail, but Kate seemed to be standing back, keeping herself away from him.

He understood; he knew how badly he had treated her. But why did she come all the way from Seattle and stay for over two weeks if he didn't mean something to her? Was she just holding back because she was afraid that he was going to hurt her again? Why would she want him back anyway? Kate was a beautiful, vibrant woman who could have any man in the world. Why would she want him? The way things looked right now, he could well be disabled for the rest of his life. Disabled, he thought bitterly. Crippled was a better word. He could end up in a wheel chair, unable to walk. What kind of life could he offer Kate? If she was going to say goodbye, he hoped she would do it soon and get it over with. He was getting used to having her back in his life and the sooner she left, the sooner he would be able to forget.

Jack startled when he heard the crinkling sound from Kate's newspaper. "Kate" he said. "Are you there?" His voice was still quiet and raspy from having tubes down his throat.

"Oh, Honey, I'm sorry." Kate said as she heaved herself out of the chair. Going to need a crane soon, she thought. "I didn't know you were awake. I was trying to be quiet so you could rest." She walked over to his bed and stroked his hair as she kissed his forehead. She wanted to kiss his lips but couldn't reach them because of the brace. She kissed her fingertips and touched them to his lips. Jack closed his eyes and kissed her fingers in return; he felt the gentle pressure against his lips. She stroked his face tenderly. He swallowed hard. She was so sweet, but there she stood, a good step back from the bed. She should be closer, he thought, if she really loved me, she would be closer.

"Did you have a good night, Sweetie?" She asked him.

"I slept pretty well." He answered without adding any details.

"I hear you had some pain in your legs. That's wonderful." She laughed a little. "I don't mean that it's wonderful that you had pain, it's wonderful that you had some feeling."

"I guess it's a start." He said glancing away. "I'm not optimistic, Kate."

"Jack, give it some time. It's too soon to tell. Besides, you're not defined by your legs. The world won't end if you don't walk again. You're strong, Jack and I've never seen you back away from a fight. I've never seen anyone defy the odds the way you do. You'll find a way to go on."

"I know you're trying to encourage me, Kate, but you're not the one laying here."

"Jack" she knew her voice sounded harsh, "maybe it would be a good thing if for once you couldn't run away." She was speaking metaphorically but realized too late how mean that had sounded.

"I wouldn't talk about me 'running away' if I were you. You ran all the way to Seattle, to a job so beneath you that you could do it in your sleep, just to get away from me." He watched as tears filled her eyes and was instantly sorry he had said it. "I'm sorry, Baby. You weren't running. After the way I treated you, I pretty much chased you out of LA."

"Jack, we need to talk. I have to get back to Seattle and I don't want to leave without telling you this."

Here it comes, he thought. She's about to tell me that she's leaving. I've heard this one before, the 'I love you but I can't live with you' speech. Teri had told him that when they separated.

"I don't know what you want to tell me, Kate, but before you start, I want to tell you one thing. I love you more than I have loved anyone in a long time. I made a huge mistake when I left you and I would give anything, including the ability to walk, if I could have you back."

She looked away. "I don't know if that makes this harder or easier. If you told me you hated me, I could walk away now. But the fact that you still love me, means that I've made a big mistake, too. I should have called you a long time ago and let you in on something important"

"Kate, is there someone else in your life? If there is, I understand, really I do. But if that's the case, then I wish you would leave, because you are breaking my heart standing here next to me."

Kate smiled. "In a manner of speaking, yes, there is someone else, but not a lover." She paused. "Jack, the night you came to tell me you were leaving...the last night we, ah, spent together..."

He interrupted her. "Kate, I'm so sorry about that night. I didn't mean for that to happen and I didn't mean to hurt you. I know I acted like an animal..." Kate pressed her finger against his lips to silence him.

"No, Jack, don't be sorry. I'm not. Something incredible happened between us that night." Jack looked at her with confusion in his eyes. He had no idea what she was going to say next. "Something really incredible happened." She smiled and took his hand. As she pressed it to her belly she whispered, "We created a life, Jack. We made a baby." Kate had a dazzling smile on her face.

Jack closed his eyes, her words starting to sink in. Tears rolled from the corners of his eyes as Kate moved his hand to an area where he could feel the baby moving. Now he understood what she was hiding. He knew why she was always a step away from the bed. It was as close as she could get.

"Kate, why didn't you tell me?" He asked as she wiped away the tears that had rolled down the sides of his face.

"Oh, Jack, I don't know. By the time I realized that I was pregnant, you were working undercover. I couldn't get in touch with you. The longer I went without telling you, the easier it was to believe that you didn't need to know, that this was my baby, not yours. When I finally told my father, he insisted that I tell you. I thought about it and decided that I would. That was when I called you about the jacket. I was hoping that I could bring it back to you and tell you. I didn't want to tell you over the phone. You made it clear that you didn't want to see me. In my mind, with all of the crazy hormones floating around, if you didn't want me, you didn't want the baby. At that point, I knew I was going to start showing soon. I was afraid that I would run into you or Kim or some mutual friend and you would find out. So, I decided that the best thing for me to do was to move to Seattle and start over."

"So, Kim didn't know." Jack asked.

"Not until I got here the evening you were shot."

"What about Tony and Michelle?"

"I ran into them by accident a couple of weeks before that on the street in Seattle. I asked them not to tell you. Tony argued with me. He thought I was wrong. He said you would want to know, but in the end, I got him to agree not to tell you. I know he felt guilty about keeping it from you. Please don't blame him or Michelle."

"Kate, I love you so much. I can't believe that I hurt you so much that you were afraid to tell me that you were pregnant. I'm so sorry that I made you feel that way. I never wanted to hurt you and I never stopped loving you. How can I ever make that up to you?" He reached up and stroked her face.

"To be honest, Jack, I can't believe that you don't hate me for keeping this from you. I thought you would be angry with me."

"How could I be angry with you? You're carrying our child. You could have made a different choice. You didn't have to have the baby. You made a lifetime commitment to our child without expecting me to be there to help in any way. You've gone through this whole experience by yourself. I know there had to be moments that you were scared or lonely. God, I wish is could have been there. I should have been there for you, Sweetheart. How could I possibly be angry with you?"

"Jack, I'm not going to lie to you. The other option you mentioned did cross my mind. I knew I couldn't do it. The situation wasn't what I wanted, but I have always wanted children. After I had a good cry, and I started thinking about everything, I knew I wanted the baby. I knew when I made that decision that I was going it alone. There were moments that I would have liked to have you there. I remember the first time I felt the baby move. God, I wanted to tell you. I even picked up the phone but I ended up calling my dad." Kate shook her head; she didn't know what else to say.

They looked at each other without speaking for a long time. Jack spoke first. "Kate, don't go back to Seattle. Stay in LA; we can start over."

"It's not that simple, Jack. We tried it before. We were together for two and a half years. I love you and I want you to be a part of the baby's life, but I'm not sure that we should start over. You can see the baby as much as you like, but you have to be there when you say you will. I won't put up with you breaking promises to this child the way you did with Kim," she paused and looked down, "or with me."

"Sweetheart, things will be different this time, I promise. Our breakup was my fault. It won't happen again."

"Honey," she smiled. "Relationships are never successes or failures because of one person. We both failed. You were wrapped up in CTU and I resented it. I can't expect you to change and I know I won't change. So I'm just not sure we can ever make a relationship work. That doesn't mean we don't care about each other. It just means we may not be able to spend our lives together."

"I doubt I'll ever be able to go back to CTU in my condition." He stated matter of factly. He remained sure that he would never walk again.

"Why not? Regardless of 'your condition' you can run CTU. You don't have to chase down the bad guys; you can send anyone out to do that. They want you to run the department. Hammond has already been here and talked to Kim. They want you back as soon as possible. And face it, Jack, you love being CTU director. You always told me it was the best job you ever had."

"I'm not going to deny it. I do like my job, but you and the baby are my priority now."

"Well that would be novel, Jack. You've admitted to me more than once that you let CTU get between you and Teri. You certainly let it get between you and me. Why would I think that now is going to be any different than a year ago? You're going to change your priorities for the baby? You didn't for Kim." Kate stopped for second. Jack looked away. He knew what she was saying was true. "The other problem is that CTU is here, in Los Angeles. I'm in Seattle now. I know I've only been there a couple of months, but I like it there. It's a nice city and the pace is slower. I like my house and my neighbors. It's a nice place to raise a child."

"So that's it. You won't give us a chance?" Jack asked unable to mask the pain in his voice.

Kate's expression softened and she exhaled quietly. "I'm not saying 'never', Jack. We both have too much to think about right now. You need to concentrate on getting well. You don't need the distraction of a relationship. I need to concentrate on the baby."

"Kate, the more I listen to you, the more I hear the word 'goodbye' in what you are saying. I am I getting that right?"

"I don't know what I'm saying." She admitted as she kneaded her forehead with her fingers. "I just don't want us to have another failed relationship. I feel like I made all of the sacrifices during our last relationship, and believe me, I did it gladly. I did it because I loved you. I'm just not sure I want to do it again. Maybe I'm being selfish. I know I have a baby to think of now, and the baby deserves to have a father. I just don't want to be sitting at home every night at midnight wondering if you are going to come home or if I'm going to be alone again. At least this way I know I'm going to be home alone. I don't have any expectations."

They were both quiet for a long time. Kate stood next to his bed while Jack stared at the ceiling. He finally reached out and touched Kate's belly. His hand lingered as he felt their baby move restlessly. Restless, he thought, like me.

"I'd like to be there when the baby's born, Kate. Is that possible?"

"Of course, Sweetheart. I want you to be there. You can fly to Seattle with my dad. He is going to have his pilot, Charlie, on 'stand by'." They were quiet again, neither knowing what to say. Kate sighed quietly and took Jack's hand. "Sweetheart, I have to go now if I want to make my Seattle flight." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'll be back next Wednesday evening. That gives us both some time to think."

Jack drew her hand to his mouth and kissed it. His eyes were closed and an occasional tear spilled from the corners, slid slowly down the side of his face and disappeared into his closely cropped hair. "I love you so much." He whispered. "I don't want to lose you."

Kate picked up her bag, said goodbye once again and left the room. Jack couldn't see her but he knew she was crying. He could hear her heels echo in the hall for a long time. He lay still, crying, exhausted from this morning's revelations. His mind was swimming. He could hear her voice over and over saying 'Something incredible happened. We made a baby.' As tired as he was, he fought sleep. He needed to think, but her words swirled round and round in his sleepy brain: 'CTU got between you and Teri', 'something incredible happened'. The phrases repeated mercilessly as he drifted toward sleep. Slowly the voice changed. It was no longer Kate speaking to him. It was Teri. He could hear her voice from almost five years ago: 'you're going to be a father... again', 'I keep thinking this is the second chance we've been talking about'. Teri was willing to give him a second chance but she died only an hour later. Why wouldn't Kate give him a second chance? He needed a second chance.


	10. Making Progress

Chapter 10: Making Progress

**One Week Later **

**7:32pm**

Jack sat in a wheelchair anxiously awaiting Kate's arrival. He knew he shouldn't worry, but she was late. Yes, he knew it was the day before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel days of the years. And yes, it was raining, so flights were delayed and traffic was gridlock as far as the eye could see. He was sure she was fine, but he couldn't help but worry about her. His nurse wanted to help him back into bed almost a half hour ago, but he insisted that he wasn't at all tired and wanted to sit up longer. Truthfully, he was exhausted from yet another grueling day of physical therapy and desperately wanted to lie down. Instead he sat next to the window where he could see the rain sheeting down. From his 12th floor vantage point he could see an endless stream of red tail lights, looking blurry through the rain streaked window, as people made their way out of the city for the long, holiday weekend. He tried to read, but every time he heard a sound in the hall he thought it was Kate and he looked up.

Jack had spent the week missing Kate and trying to figure out how he was going to win her back. Last Wednesday, the day Kate went back to Seattle, was an emotional roller coaster for Jack. He was stunned when Kate told him she was pregnant. He wasn't sure how it had happened since he thought she was taking birth control pills. Not that he was thinking much about birth control as he virtually attacked her that night. He was still embarrassed by his behavior. He wasn't sorry about the result though; he was thrilled about the baby. And despite Kate's seeming lack of interest in resuming their relationship, she appeared to be happy about it as well.

Once he knew she was pregnant, he was sure she would want him back. Pretty egotistical of me, he thought. He was not ready for her to say she didn't want to restart their relationship. Despite being 40 years old and devilishly handsome, he really didn't have a lot of experience with women. He and Teri had been very young when they married and, until his affair with Nina while he and Teri were separated, he had always been faithful to her. When Teri asked him to leave he was devastated. He knew their marriage had problems, he knew his mission to Kosovo had left him more distant than ever, but it never occurred to him that she might ask him to leave. He was reeling from the shock when he fell into Nina's trap. She was beautiful and sensual and she was there when he needed someone. After a couple of months he knew the affair was wrong and he broke it off. Then he went about winning Teri back and it worked. There was Claudia, but as much as he hated to admit it, she was merely a diversion; a way to try and forget about Kate. He cared for Claudia, but he certainly never loved her. Now he would have to win Kate back the same way he did Teri. As Kate said last week, he never ran away from a fight. He certainly wasn't running away from this one. This was one of the most important fights of his life.

He spent that whole next night, lying flat on his back considering what he had to do next. He thought about their two and a half years together and realized that Kate was right. He had always put CTU first. She was patient for a while, but his lack of attention had worn thin. He was forever breaking dates or forgetting that they planned a weekend in Newport Beach or were going skiing in Colorado. Even when they went on vacation, he had to call work at least once a day, as if they couldn't survive without him. No wonder she was reluctant to try again.

Jack spent hours thinking about his years at CTU. They had been exciting and dangerous, everything that he loved. He knew, though, that they had taken a toll on him both emotionally and physically. No one would ever be able to convince him that Teri's death was not a direct result of his job. And look what he had put Kim through. He had had numerous brushes with death, but this time, it came close enough to really scare him, to really make him think twice about going back. As it was, his doctors felt he would only regain partial use of his legs. They were confident that he would eventually walk unassisted or with minimal assistance, such as a cane, but would never return to what he considered normal. At this point, he was grateful for even that.

He had gone into physical therapy with the same energy that he used for everything else. The therapists were amazed at how hard he could push himself and how much he expected of himself. They weren't sure if that was good or bad, but in the end he was making great progress. He couldn't wait to show Kate. That was why he refused to go to bed. He wanted her to see him sitting up. He looked healthier that way, he felt more confident and less vulnerable. He just wished he knew when she would be here.

Just about then, his nursed poked her head in the partially open door. "Mr. Bauer, how about if I help you back into bed now. This is the longest you've been out of bed at one stretch. You have to be tired."

He started to shake his head in protest when he heard a voice from behind the nurse. "I think he might be waiting up for me." Kate said.

There was no way Jack could control the smile that erupted on his face. "Kate," he whispered thankful that she had arrived safely and so excited to see her.

The nurse smiled and stepped away so Kate could enter the room. As she did, Jack reached out both hands and took her hands in his. "I missed you so much, Kate. You look wonderful." This was the first time he had seen anything but her face. The pregnancy suited her. Her normally flat stomach was gently curved, her hips and breasts full. Some women just look good pregnant and Kate was one of them. "Let me show you my new trick." He said like a child who had just learned to ride a two-wheeled bicycle. He reached for the walker next to the window and put it in front of him. Then he slowly, painstakingly began to stand up. Kate could tell this was taking every bit of his concentration and energy. He was finally standing straight up, leaning on the walker for support.

"That's incredible, Jack. I can't believe how much progress you've made in the last week." She rested her hands on top of his and he took the opportunity to lean forward and kiss her. It was a soft, gentle kiss, more than a kiss between friends, but not the kiss shared by lovers. It was a start.

Kate sat on a chair pulled close to him. She thanked him for sending her flowers and a box of her favorite chocolates. Her office staff had teased her mercilessly about her secret admirer. Only Grace, her secretary knew who sent them.

Grace was probably in her late 50s and reminded Kate very much of her mother. She had a kind face and was always in good humor even when she was having a bad day. She was forever asking Kate how she felt and making sure that she was taking care of herself. On days when Kate had a doctor's appointment, Grace would remind her three times. Grace had been widowed when she was 32 when her husband was killed in a car accident. She was left to raise their three small children.

Kate had quickly grown attached to Grace and, shortly after arriving in Seattle, had opened up to her about her relationship with Jack. When the flowers arrived on Monday, both Kate and Grace had assumed they were from Kate's father, who sent his daughter flowers pretty regularly. Kate was busy reading a contract when Grace brought the flowers into her office and began to remove the tissue paper from the flowers and vase. "Your father doesn't usually send you red roses." She commented as she handed Kate the card and set the vase full of long stemmed red roses and baby's breath on Kate's desk. "Somebody has an admirer." She said with an elfish grin. She knew full well who the roses were from.

The next day, the candy arrived. Again she teased Kate about the gift. "First roses, now candy, pretty romantic! If you don't take him back, Kate, I might call him and see if he's interested in me." Her message was subtle but crystal clear to Kate. "You know, Kate, it's hard to be a single mother." Grace had told her numerous times. "I didn't have a choice but you do." Kate sighed. When she left for LA the day Jack was shot, she was terrified that he was going to die. Now that he was alive and getting well, she didn't know how to react. She felt guilty about not taking him back into her life, but she was so afraid that she would just get hurt again. Their breakup had hurt her more than she could have ever imagined. She hated to admit it, but she wondered if her refusal to tell Jack about the baby and now, her reluctance to resume their relationship wasn't her way of paying him back for hurting her. She knew it was childish, but emotions rarely relied on grown up reasoning.

Jack and Kate spent the next hour talking quietly, discussing nothing of great consequence. He noticed that she repeatedly stretched and reached back to massage the small of her back. She was obviously tired. "Sweetheart, you should go back to your father's house and get some rest. But before you go there's something I'd like to show you." He reached to his bedside table and retrieved a single sheet of white paper and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Just read it. It's self explanatory." He watched as Kate's eyes slowly moved across the page. She stopped at the bottom of the page, blinked her eyes back to the top and read it again.

She shook her head as if she didn't quite comprehend. "I don't understand. This is your resignation from CTU."

"That's right. Brad Hammond came to see me today. I gave him a copy while he was here."

"Jack, why would you leave CTU? Just last week you told me you loved that job, now you're resigning. I don't understand." Kate looked bewildered.

"I spent the last week thinking about it, Kate. You were right. CTU had come between me and everyone who has ever been important in my life. It was killing me a little more every year, both emotionally and physically. It's time to move on. I thought you'd be happy about this."

"Jack, I never asked you to do this." Kate said indignantly. "I hope you didn't do this because you thought it was what I wanted."

"I know you didn't ask me to resign, Sweetheart." He said gently, not sure why Kate was getting upset. "I resigned because I thought it out and decided it was the right thing to do. Regardless of our relationship, I want to be here, to be a father to this baby." He rested his hand lightly on her abdomen. "With CTU out of the picture, I can do that. I can be the father that I never was to Kim."

"Do you have any idea what you are going to do; where you are going to work?" She asked. "I don't want you to blame me if you aren't happy about this in a few months." The irritation in her voice was clear.

"Kate, I would never blame you for a decision that I made." He said curtly. "And yes, I have thought about what I'm going to do. This wasn't a hasty decision. I've spent a lot of time making it." He was clearly frustrated with Kate's response. He fully expected her to be happy about his severing ties with CTU. "I don't get it, Kate. Why are you so upset?"

Kate put her head in her hands. "I don't know." She said. "I guess I'm tired and this came as a complete surprise." She shook her head to indicate that she couldn't explain her feelings.

"I'm sorry I brought it up now. It could have waited. It's just that I thought you would be happy about it." Kate's head still rested in her hands. "Are you going to be okay to drive back to your dad's, Sweetheart?" Jack asked as he reached for her hand.

Kate nodded silently, afraid that her feelings were so tenuous at this moment that she would begin to cry if she tried to talk. She reached down and picked up her bag from the floor as she readied herself to leave, then she leaned forward to give Jack a goodbye kiss. She meant for it to be a friendly kiss, like the one he had given her when she came into the room but as their lips met she wanted more. Kate knew the kiss was longer and firmer than she had intended; she couldn't help herself. Feeling the intensity of her kiss, Jack put his hand behind her head and pulled her closer. She responded by parting her lips slightly to allow his tongue to slip briefly into her mouth.

As Kate stood to leave, they both seemed surprised and confused by what had just happened. She stopped and looked back at him when she reached the door as if she was going to say something but then thought better of it and turned to go.

"You're going to be back tomorrow, aren't you?" Jack asked concerned that he had really upset her.

"Yeah, uh, yeah" she stammered. "I'll be here early. Kim and Chase and some of the guys from CTU are going to come by in the afternoon to watch football with you. I think Tony and Michelle and my dad are coming, too. That way you'll have some company all day."

"That's fine, Sweetheart, get some rest. If you are too tired to stop by in the morning, I'll understand, Kate. Really, I will. I want you to take care of yourself."

Kate walked quickly to her rental car. Her vision blurred as her eyes brimmed with tears. She had to force herself to concentrate on the road and not think of Jack as she drove to her father's house.

**9:40pm**

As she opened the kitchen door with her key, her father stood up from his perch on a bar stool at a kitchen counter. The newspaper was spread across the counter in front of him and she could smell coffee brewing. "Hey, Honey" he said as he smiled at her. He crossed the huge kitchen to give his daughter a hug and kiss. "I have decaf brewing for you. I thought you might like some. How was your trip?"

She smiled at him. She was so lucky to have Bob Warner as a father. He was always there for her just when she needed him the most. As she looked at him though, she couldn't help but see how tired and worn he looked. Since that terrible day three and a half years ago when the nuclear bomb was smuggled into the US with the help of Kate's sister, Marie, Bob had seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Marie now sat in a federal prison about two hours north of LA. She had been sentenced to death and was currently refusing any appeals. Marcus Youngwood felt that her sentence could possibly be reduced to life in prison without the possibility of parole if only she would let him appeal. They needed to do it soon though, Marie was hardly a model prisoner. She was constantly stirring up the other prisoners on her cell block and creating problems. Because of this, she had racked up a lot of time in solitary confinement. As bad as her record was becoming, soon she would not be able to garner any sympathy from a jury. Bob went to see her faithfully every month. She broke his heart. He tried to talk her into allowing Marc to file an appeal, but she didn't care to listen and he was starting to give up hope. What she had done was heinous and although Bob would never understand her reasoning, he knew she had to be punished. He just couldn't reconcile himself with the idea that she, his little girl, was going to be executed. He could almost live with the idea of life in prison, but not death.

"The flight was okay, but there was a lot of turbulence. Tony was amazing, he slept the entire time. Michelle and I couldn't figure out how he did it. Then the traffic from the airport was awful."

"Did you stop and see Jack?"

"Yeah, he looks great. He seems to be doing really well."

"I know, I stopped to see him on Monday. I thought he looked good then."

"Did he tell you?" Kate asked as she poured coffee into a mug.

"Tell me what?" He asked in return.

"He resigned from CTU."

"Really?" Bob asked, obviously surprised by the news. "When?"

"I guess he made it official today." Kate told him.

"I think it's good news. One way or another, that job was eventually going to kill him. You must be happy about it, Kate."

"Yeah, I guess I am." She said in a voice that sounded like she was trying to convince herself. "Dad, I'm really tired. Do you mind if I take the coffee upstairs and just get ready for bed?"

"No, Honey, that's fine. I'll get your bags out of the car and bring them up."

Bob walked up the steps and carried the two bags into Kate's room. She hadn't lived there in years, but he still considered it 'Kate's room'. Kate had set her coffee on the nightstand and stood holding a framed picture of herself and her mother, Elizabeth. Kate was probably only five or six when it was taken. She was dressed in her Easter outfit including a hat and gloves, and was holding her Easter basket. Elizabeth was crouched down next to her with an arm around Kate's waist.

"I've always loved that picture, Kate." Bob said as he moved closer to his daughter so that he could see the picture, too.

Kate suddenly burst into tears. "I miss her so much, Dad!" She sobbed.

"Oh, Kate" he said as he put his arms around her. He knew this had nothing to do with Elizabeth. She had been dead over ten years. "Honey, what's wrong?" He reached for a tissue and handed it to Kate as he sat her down on the bed. He sat down next to her with his arm around her shoulders.

Kate could barely control her sobs as she tried to speak. "I'm just so tired and so scared and so confused."

"Tired I can take care of; you just need a good night's sleep. Scared and confused, Honey, I don't know if I can help with those, but I'll try. What are you afraid of?"

"I feel so alone, Dad. I know you are here for me, but it's not the same. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and, I don't know, this is all just so overwhelming." She knew she wasn't making a lot of sense but she couldn't help it. Words were just coming out of her mouth in a stream of consciousness; everything that came to mind she said. "I thought I was okay with having the baby by myself. I thought I had Jack out of my system. Now, he wants us to get back together and I'm not so sure we should. But when we spend time together, I'm so happy. He makes me feel so much better. Then I start remembering how much he hurt me and I'm afraid he'll do it again. Now he tells me he's left CTU and I'm afraid that he did it just to please me and that makes me obliged to go back to him. Dad, I don't know what to do."

Bob pulled Kate's head toward his chest and held her close while she cried. He never felt as helpless as when one of his daughters cried. Even when they were babies, he felt as though he had failed as a father when one of them cried. Whether the tears were over a scraped knee or forgotten lines in the school play or lack of a date for the homecoming dance, it didn't matter, he always felt helpless when they cried. He felt more helpless now than he ever had. He wished it was as simple as cleaning and bandaging a knee or telling her that there would be other dances to go to. He wished he had words of wisdom to share that would give her the right decisions, but he didn't.

"Kate, if you want me to guarantee that Jack or any man isn't going to hurt you, I can't do it. I wish I could, because the last thing I ever want is to see you hurting like you are now. Unfortunately, part of going into a relationship is knowing that you might get hurt. You can't dwell on that." Bob paused to wipe tears from Kate's face. "I know you have a history with Jack and I know he hurt you once. I also know Jack pretty well and I believe him when he told me that he never wanted to hurt you. He believed that he was saving you pain in the long run. I know about his heroin addiction, and I think that had a lot to do with how he behaved. He also told me that he hasn't touched the stuff since he went to rehab and I believe that, too. I think he wants to be a good father to your baby. I think he's very motivated to make a relationship work; whatever relationship you are willing to agree to."

"So, you are on his side. You think I should go back to him."

"Whoa, whoa, I'm not taking sides here, Kate. I'm giving you the facts as I see them. I hate to put this on your shoulders, but you're the only one who can make this decision. By the way, I don't think you need to make a decision today. Let the relationship move forward and see what direction it takes. If you don't like the direction, you either change course or end it." Bob took a breath and continued, "Kate, it's hard to be a single parent. You and Marie were nearly grown when your mother died and I still found it hard not to have her help when one of you had a problem. Jack is offering to be there to help. I think you should let him."

Kate had calmed down now. She took a sip of coffee and sighed. "You're right. I don't need to make a decision right now, but I do need to get some sleep. Thanks, Dad. I love you."

Kate went to bed still confused, but less tense about it. She lay in her bed feeling safe and warm for a change and fell into an exhausted sleep.

**10:38pm**

Jack laid awake channel surfing, but not really paying attention to what was on. Kate had given him such mixed signals. Their good night kiss had blown him away. He thought she was angry with him. He wondered if he was even going to get a kiss and the next thing he knew she was kissing him intensely. He sighed. He was going to have to be patient, he thought as he turned off the television and tried to sleep. Kate was all he could see when he closed his eyes. If he really concentrated, he could still feel her kiss. He could feel his tongue in her mouth. He could smell the soft scent of her cologne. He loved her so much. I will wait a lifetime for you, he thought as sleep descended peacefully upon him.


	11. Pillow Talk and Football

_Knock, knock, knock...is anyone out there? Hey, are you guys still reading? I only got three reviews on chapters 9 and 10. Does that mean you are reading and not reviewing or that nobody is reading any more? Or is the story just so lame that you want me to quit now and save you all the agony of reading more?_

_Please let me know!!! I love reviews. If the story is bad, I need to know that, too. If you're reading and enjoying but don't have an opinion that you want to share, that's ok. Just send me a review that says "I'm reading and enjoying" or, if you must "I've read to this point and this stinks!" Anything, just let me know you're out there._

Chapter 11: Pillow Talk and Football

**2:17am**

Kate was sleeping soundly when a warm, wet nose nudged her hand. Without even opening her eyes she shifted positions so she could pet Riley. "Dog, you are shameless! Do you really need to be petted so badly that you couldn't wait until morning?"

Riley was Bob's 13 year old Dalmatian who loved to be the center of attention. Next to Bob, Kate was Riley's favorite human and she hadn't paid much attention to him when she arrived earlier. She guessed this was just Riley's way of exacting revenge on her for ignoring him.

"Well, now that I'm awake I have to go to the bathroom. Oh the joys of pregnancy, going to the bathroom five times a night!" Kate said to Riley as she labored to get out of bed. Riley wagged his tail happily thinking Kate was getting up with him.

As she returned from the bathroom with Riley close at her heels, Kate noticed that lights were on downstairs. "I guess Dad fell asleep on the couch again." Kate said as Riley bounded down the stairs.

Instead of finding her father asleep, she found him sitting in his den in a huge leather chair cradling a large snifter of brandy and staring out into space. He was brought back to reality by the sound of Riley's collar jingling as he entered the room.

"Kate, what are you doing up?" Bob asked as she followed Riley into the den.

"Riley wanted attention. What are you doing up?"

"I don't know. I just couldn't sleep."

"It doesn't look like you tried." Kate said noting that Bob had made no effort to get ready for bed; he was still wearing the clothes he had on when Kate got home. "What's wrong, Dad?"

"Honey, you have enough on your plate right now. Let me deal with this."

"Dad, I unload on you all the time. If something is wrong, tell me." Kate sat down so he would know that she wasn't leaving until he opened up.

"It's Marie." He started. "The execution order had been signed."

Kate gasped. She knew that her sister would eventually be executed but having the order signed gave it a finality that she wasn't ready for. "Oh my God, what's the date?"

"February 1st unless an appeal is filed and she continues to refuse to allow Marcus to file any appeals. You've heard it all before, Kate. She keeps saying it is better to die for her cause, but all you have to do is look in her eyes and you know she doesn't mean it. I was there yesterday. She said goodbye to me, told me she didn't want me to come back." He paused. "I don't know what to do. When the death sentence was handed down, I never thought it would happen. I just assumed that it would be appealed for years and eventually the sentence would be reduced to life in prison. It never occurred to me that she would refuse to appeal. I never thought she would die." Tears were collecting in his eyes. "I know she killed Reza and those two federal agents and she helped bring the nuclear bomb onto US soil, and I will never forgive her for any of it. But, God help me, I don't think I can stand to watch my baby die."

"Oh, Dad," Kate put her arms around him and tried to comfort him. She had come to hate Marie over the last three years. There were still nights when she closed her eyes and could see Marie holding the gun to her head. If Jack hadn't shot her in the arm, Kate was sure that Marie would have killed her. She sat through Marie's trial, which was mercifully brief since the evidence against her was overwhelming, only to support her father. If it hadn't been for him, Kate wouldn't have gone near that federal courthouse. She had been perfectly satisfied with the death sentence; Marie deserved it. Now she wasn't so sure. Now that Marie was really going to die, it wasn't abstract any more. It wasn't someone else's sister sitting on death row, it was hers.

"Dad, would you like me to go and talk to her?" Kate offered.

"I don't know if it will do any good, but it would make me feel better. I'd like to know we gave her every chance." They agreed that Kate would go to the prison on Friday morning to see Marie. Bob kissed Kate's forehead. "Thanks, Honey. Now you need to get some sleep." As he watched Kate walk away, Bob shook his head at the irony of the situation. One of his daughters was about to die, while the other was about to bring a new life into the world. If it weren't for Marie's crimes, Kate would have never met Jack.

Kate got back into bed knowing that trying to sleep was pointless. She had too much on her mind. Now she had to think about both Jack and Marie. What was she going to say to Jack tomorrow? How could she possibly explain that kiss? Wow, she thought, what a kiss! It wasn't the most intense kiss they had ever shared, but it was powerful, almost electrified. She could feel herself tingle as Jack put his hand on the back of her head. She wanted it to last longer. How could she continue to resist his attempts to rekindle their relationship? Why was she still so reluctant to start over? She knew she wanted him back in her life; she never wanted him to leave in the first place. But there was a part of her that was so afraid to take him back.

And if talking to Jack was going to be hard, what in the world was she going to say to Marie? She hadn't gone to see Marie since she saw her at CTU after she was arrested. Kate barely looked at her during the trial. Every time she thought of Marie, all she could see was the gun Marie held to her head or the bitter look she gave Jack while he was interrogating her. This wasn't Kate's little sister. This was someone Kate didn't even recognize.

**9:10am**

Jack was back in bed, staring out into space, after another grueling physical therapy session. This one was shorter than most, though. He was livid when the nurse woke him up at 7:30 for breakfast and said she would take him to therapy at 8:00. It's Thanksgiving, he said, don't I get a break? Yes, she told him, only one therapy session today instead of two.

He had been less than cooperative in therapy. He still worked hard, but complained about it the whole time. Then, in typical Jack fashion, he apologized repeatedly to the therapist. What happened, she asked him, you were in a great mood yesterday.

What happened? He thought. What happened? The most beautiful, desirable woman in the world walked into my room, acted like she was happy to see me, got pissed off when I told her I'd quit the job that had ruined our relationship in the first place, and then she had the audacity to give me one of the most sensual kisses I've ever had. Now, after hardly sleeping all night, I've got some perky therapist who actually thinks I give a damn if I ever walk again!

Kate knocked softly and waited for Jack to respond before she entered. "Good morning," she said quietly.

"Hi Sweetheart," Jack replied without enthusiasm as he raised the head of the bed with the remote control so he was in a sitting position. "You look tired, Babe."

"So do you" she answered succinctly.

Jack moved over in the bed to make room for Kate to sit on the edge. As she sat, they both leaned forward and kissed lightly. "Did the baby keep you up?" Jack asked as he allowed his hand to rest on Kate's belly.

"No," she answered. "My dad and I were up talking about Marie." Kate went on to explain that the execution order had been signed and that Marie was refusing appeals. "I'm going to see her tomorrow."

"Kate, do you think that's a good idea? It's taken you a long time to come to grips with what Marie did and that she tried to kill you. Do you think you should open up those old wounds? Especially now, Honey, this is just such a vulnerable time for you." He was genuinely concerned at how seeing Marie again would affect Kate.

"Jack, I'm not sure this is any of your concern." Kate said with more irritation in her voice than she intended. She knew that it was lack of sleep that was doing the talking. "I'm a big girl now. I'll decide whether I go to see my sister or not. I've been perfectly capable of taking care of myself to this point. I've been pretty vulnerable for the last seven months and I've managed to keep it all together. I'm doing this as a favor to my father. He's always been there for me, now he needs me. I can certainly do this one thing for him." She glared at him.

"Sweetheart, I never said you weren't capable of taking care of yourself and I know your father had been good to you. It's just..." he sighed and gave up. "Never mind. Let's not fight." He sat forward and put his hands on her shoulders. "Kate, come here." She leaned toward him and they wrapped their arms around each other. "I love you so much, Kate." Jack whispered. "I just don't want anything to hurt you." They clung silently to each other for a long time. It felt so good to be held, Kate thought. She always felt warm and safe in Jack's arms and she never wanted that to end.

Eventually Kate's back started to hurt from the awkward position they were in. She began to pull away and stretch to take the tension away from her lower back muscles. "Here, turn this way." Jack directed her so that her back was to him and then he pulled her toward him. He tucked an extra pillow beneath the small of her back. "This should be more comfortable."

Kate was now lying in a partially reclined position next to Jack on the bed. They both laughed. The bed was made for one person, not almost three. "This may not work." Jack said through a big smile.

"Yes, it will," Kate assured him. She kicked off her shoes and let them fall to the floor. Then she rolled part way onto her side toward him allowing her abdomen to rest against him. She felt him wince as he reached for his side.

"Oh, Honey," she said as a look of concern crossed her face and she moved to take any weight off of him. "I'm sorry. Does that hurt?"

"That incision is still a little sore." He said. The painful expression cleared quickly and he relaxed. "Shift a little to the left and it'll be fine." She did that and bent her top knee so that her leg rested on Jack's thigh. It was still a tight fit, but it worked. More importantly, they both enjoyed the warmth and closeness.

Jack had one arm around Kate's shoulders and the other gently on top of her abdomen where he could feel the baby move and kick inside of her. "What is she doing in there, dancing Swan Lake?" Jack asked with a smile on his face.

"Who is she?" Kate asked.

"The baby," Jack responded.

"What makes you think it's a girl?" Kate questioned him.

"Is it a boy?" Jack asked. "You told me you didn't want to know ahead of time."

"Well," Kate lowered her eyes and smiled, a little embarrassed, "I don't know officially, but mothers know these things. I've known the baby was a boy from the second that I knew I was pregnant. What makes you so sure it's a girl?"

"I've spent the last 20 years trying to figure out how to raise a daughter. Now that I know, I was hoping to put the knowledge to good use. I screwed up the first time; I'd like a second chance."

"You didn't screw up. Kim is a lovely person. You did a beautiful job raising her."

"No, Teri did a beautiful job raising her. I was too busy playing 'Rambo' to contribute much to her upbringing." He paused. "It will be different this time, Kate, I swear. Whether we have a son or a daughter, I'll be there for them and for you."

"You know Kate," Jack said to her. "You never told me your due date."

"January 12th" Kate told him, "about seven more weeks."

"Have you picked out a name for our son?" He asked her playfully.

"Yes, I have. His name is Robert John. Is that okay?"

"I like it." He told her. "What if our son is a daughter? Do you have a contingency plan just in case no one told the baby she was supposed to be a boy?"

"Yes, I have a name for a girl, too. She would be Elizabeth Rose, after my mother."

"That's a pretty name. Let's hope she's as pretty as her mother." He pressed a kiss into her hair.

Kate smiled and laid her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes and reveled in the warmth of Jack's body. Slowly, without realizing it, she drifted off to sleep. Jack lay very still listening as her breathing deepened and slowed. As she slept, Kate snuggled closer nuzzling her head into his chest and reaching her arm across his body to hold him. In her sleep, her subconscious allowed her to do what her wakeful conscious would not. He kissed the top of her head and let himself fall asleep as well.

**11:04am**

Kate was still sleeping almost two hours later and Jack was getting stiff from lying in the same position. He hated to wake her, but had to move. He shifted as carefully as possible, but jostled Kate just enough to wake her. She looked up at him with sleepy eyes, not sure for a second where she was. Realization that she was sleeping in Jack's arms seemed to hit her all at once. She sat up as quickly as she could and got off of the bed.

"How... how long was I sleeping?" Kate asked as she tried to straighten her hair and clothes.

"About two hours," he answered.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean for that to happen. I...I guess... I guess I was just so tired from last night, I couldn't help myself."

"Kate, relax, it's not a problem. You were tired, you fell asleep. Why are you upset?"

"I came to keep you company and instead I fell asleep. It... it just wasn't what I planned." She was lying and Jack knew it. She was upset with herself because, yet again, she had allowed herself to get close to Jack, to enjoy his warmth, to start thinking about a life with him. Her heart wanted it all so much, but her head kept telling her to stay away.

"Honey," he whispered as he took her hand, "we were fully clothed, nothing happened. We both slept. It was harmless, Kate. You didn't talk in your sleep or make any vows you wouldn't want to keep. Kate, why are you so afraid of getting close to me again?

Kate was saved from answering by a knock at the door. "Come in," Jack called.

The door opened and Tony and Michelle entered the room. "Hey you two, hope we're not interrupting anything." Tony said with a smile on his face. He crossed the room and gave Jack a hug. They were close enough friends to do so without embarrassment. "You look great, Jack." He said sincerely.

Michelle was right behind him. She hugged and kissed Jack and agreed with Tony that Jack looked much better than he had when they had seen him for just a few minutes in the intensive care unit three days after he was shot.

"You guys are here earlier than I expected." Jack told them. "I thought you were coming in for the football game at one o'clock."

"We thought we would stop by a little early so we would get a chance to visit before everyone else gets here." Michelle explained.

Tony turned to Kate, "Is your dad joining us?" He asked.

"As far as I know he's planning to." Kate answered.

"Call him and tell him not to eat first." Tony told her. "We have got a ton of food coming. My dad is sending it over around 12:30. I already talked to your nurse, she said we can set it up in the solarium down the hall. We just can't be too loud."

Tony's parents owned a restaurant and his father was the executive chef. The Almeidas considered Jack nothing short of a saint after he not only helped Tony get Michelle back safely from Stephen Saunders, but then kept Tony from serving any jail time. Tony's father considered this a small way of showing his family's appreciation to Jack

**3:42pm**

It was late afternoon and the impromptu party was in full swing. The nurses had asked the group to keep the noise down twice already but gave up after several other patients and some of the doctors joined in the festivities. Tony's father had sent an unbelievable spread that included all kinds of appetizers, a 28 pound turkey stuffed with oyster dressing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with pecans and apricots, cranberries cooked with port wine, a vegetable compote and a dozen different kinds of pies. Everyone will full to the point of bursting. Jack, who had only been eating solid food for the last four days, had to be very careful not to overeat.

Tony was being teased mercilessly as the Detroit Lions beat up on his beloved Chicago Bears. "Even in football my teams keep getting beaten!" He lamented. He was taking the good natured ribbing and giving it back just as quickly. Jack looked around and was immediately struck by how lucky he was. He was surrounded by so many friends; his daughter was here and so was Kate. Kate could say what she wanted, but she was falling in love with him again, he could feel it. He just needed to give her time.

Kate sat at the other end of the room watching the group of friends. Chase and Kim sat holding hands and laughing with the others. Michelle sat on the arm of Tony's chair with her hand on his shoulder. He periodically looked back as her to say something or maybe just to smile at her. They looked so happy together. Her father and Jack both seemed very animated this afternoon. It had been a long time since she could describe either of them as animated. She knew that Jack had to be getting tired, he had been out of bed since around 11:30 this morning, but he didn't seem effected by it.

Michelle noticed Kate sitting alone and looking pensive. She whispered something into Tony's ear and he nodded and smiled at her, then she picked up her soda and sat down next to Kate.

"You look awfully deep in thought, Kate. What's the matter?"

"I don't know, Michelle." Kate answered truthfully. "I can't explain it. Just being here, being near Jack." She shook her head. "When Jack left me, I promised myself I would move on. I loved him, but I would move on, you know, start over. I was not going to let Jack back into my life. I reconsidered a little when I found out I was pregnant, but after a few weeks, I made the decision. Even if Jack was a part of the baby's life, he wasn't going to be part of mine. I never stopped loving him, but I was determined that he wasn't going to have the chance to hurt me again. Now, I'm so confused. This morning I fell asleep on the bed in his arms. It felt so good, Michelle. My head is telling me to get the hell out of here, but my heart just won't let me."

"Sometimes you have to listen to your heart, Kate." Michelle said gently. She stared at the floor and continued speaking. "About a year ago, Tony and I were having a lot of problems. We were arguing constantly. My head kept telling me that our marriage was never going to work and that I should cut my losses and get out, but my heart told me I simply wasn't whole without him. Every time I tried to tell him that I thought we should separate, my heart stopped me. Then he started looking at the job in Virginia and I got this glimmer of hope that everything would be alright. About the same time, our whole world crashed down around us and everything changed. Look at us now, we've never been happier. I look at him sitting over there and all I can think is how incredibly lucky I am to have him." She smiled. "I could have left him and where would I be right now? I don't think it's likely that I would be this happy."

"So, you're telling me to go back to Jack, right?"

"All I'm telling you is that sometimes you have to listen to your heart. You're a different person than you were eight months ago; so is Jack. You've both been through a lot. Jack has had a lot of time recently to do some soul searching. He came very close to dying and I don't think you can do that without changing a little inside. Give it time, Kate. See what happens, but don't shut him down without a chance just because that's how you decided it should be months ago."

They both looked up as Jack wheeled over toward them. "You two okay?" He asked.

"Fine," Michelle answered. "Girl talk." She squeezed Kate's hand, winked at Jack and moved back over near Tony.

"Kate, are you alright? I'm worried about you."

She smiled and looked at his eyes. They were warm pools right now. She had seen his eyes look cold and icy, uninviting. They were icy when he was interrogating Marie. They were icy when he was taking down those rednecks at her house later that same night. But they were never icy when they looked at her. Even when he was getting into the plane carrying the nuke and he took that long last look at her, even when he was breaking up with her, his eyes had that warm shimmer. "I'm a little tired and I have a long day tomorrow with going to see Marie. Do you mind if I leave now?"

"No, no, that's fine. I don't want you to tire yourself out. Are you too tired to drive? I'm sure your dad would take you home."

"Oh, no, I can drive. Let Dad stay. I haven't seen him enjoy himself this much in a long time."

"Okay, as long as you're alright. With going to see Marie tomorrow, you don't have to stop here, Sweetheart. I understand."

"Well, let's wait and see. I'll decide tomorrow, but I promise that I'll talk to you. Okay?"

"That's fine." He smiled at her. "Kate, I love you." He pressed a forefinger against her lips. "You don't have to say anything; I just want you to know how I feel." Kate leaned toward him and kissed him lightly on the lips and left for the night.


	12. Change of Heart

Chapter 12: Change of Heart

**8:47am**

Kate sat in the back of a Warner Enterprises limousine on her way to the federal prison. She tried to read, but couldn't concentrate. So she tried to sleep, but found she couldn't relax. She sighed and looked out of the window as the California coast passed on her left. Damn it, Marie! she thought, if it weren't for you my life would be so much simpler. I would never have met Jack, he couldn't have broken my heart and I certainly wouldn't be seven weeks away from having his child. On top of it all, I wouldn't be going to a federal prison to visit you.

**10:30am**

"Hey, Marie, need a change of pace?" Called the corrections officer as he approached Marie's death row cell. "You got a visitor."

"Tell my father I'm refusing to see him." She said without moving from her position on her cot.

"It's not your father. It's a woman, Kathryn Warner." He read the name from the note he had been given by his superior.

"Kate? She's never bothered to show up before. This ought to be good for a few laughs." Marie stood and walked over to an opening in the bars. She turned around and put her hands behind her back. The officer reached through, cuffed her and then opened the cell.

Marie was escorted to a room with a chair and table placed in front of a glass partition. There was an opening in the glass covered with a wire mesh screen so the visitor and prisoner could talk. Kate was already seated on the other side of the glass. Her jacket was placed strategically across her lap in an attempt to hide her pregnancy. She knew it was unlikely that Marie wouldn't notice, but it was a subject she wanted to avoid if at all possible.

"Well, Kate, isn't it sweet of you to show up once in three years. I assume you're here to say your final goodbye to me so when I'm dead you can have a clear conscience that at least you visited me once." Her tone oozed with sarcasm.

"Stop it, Marie. I'm here for Dad, not for my conscience."

Marie ignored her. "You've picked up weight." She said studying Kate's face. Kate tried not to show any emotion, but averted her eyes downward involuntarily. Marie followed her gaze. "Move the jacket."

Kate stared at her unmoving. Marie stood to peer over the table and a slow, almost evil grin began to appear on her face. "You're pregnant." Marie laughed, but there was no humor in her laughter. "Well, isn't that interesting. Knocked up by your federal agent, I presume." Marie looked at Kate's left hand resting on top of her jacket. "And by the looks of it, the son of a bitch didn't have the decency to marry you."

"No, Marie, it's me who doesn't want to get married, not Jack."

"Oh, Dad must be loving this! You're about to have the bastard child of the man who put me in prison."

"It's not Jack's fault you're here. It's your own."

Again Marie ignored Kate's response. "I almost wish I could be there when you explain to junior there that mommy and daddy met when daddy shot your Aunt Marie in the arm and arrested her."

"You've got your facts a little twisted, Marie." Kate said her anger rising. "I met Jack when he stopped Syed Ali's henchman from killing me. And Jack only shot you because you were pointing a gun in my face."

Neither spoke for a few moments. "Look, Marie," Kate finally said in a calmer voice. "I'm here to ask you to let Marcus Youngwood file an appeal. It would mean the world to Dad if he thought everything possible had been done for you." She paused. "He was a wonderful father to you, Marie and you know it. At least let him feel like he did his best for you."

Kate stopped and composed herself. She could feel the emotion welling up inside of her and would not give Marie the satisfaction of crying in front of her. "I guess I've said all I came here to say. I am truly sorry this is how we have to say our last goodbye, Marie." Kate stood, put on her jacket and turned to leave.

As she reached for the door handle, she heard Marie's voice, now soft and trembling, "Don't go, Katie, please. I'm scared."

Kate turned to see Marie behind the glass partition sobbing painfully. Gone was the hard ass terrorist moll act, Kate's baby sister had returned. "Katie, please" she begged. "I don't want to die."

Kate melted as she sat back down in the chair. "Marie, you don't have to die. Marcus can file an appeal. He's got it all ready to go; he can file on Monday.

"No, Kate," Marie was calming down. "If I have to spend my life in a 6 x 6 cell, I might as well die. I'm just so sorry for all the pain I've caused. I hate myself so much. I've hurt so many people, Dad and you, Reza's family, the families of those agents. I don't know what I thought I was going to accomplish. Katie, I'm so sorry." She wiped tears from her face.

"Why do you keep telling Dad that you want to die for you cause? Why haven't you told him this? This idea that you've turned in to some fanatic is driving him crazy."

"I didn't mean to hurt him. I thought it would be easier for him if I convinced him I really was bad and I wasn't worth loving or trying to save."

"He can't stop loving you, Marie. He's your father. Now he thinks he was a failure as a father; that he didn't teach you right from wrong. That's killing him. Please Marie, talk to him, tell him what you told me. I think it would be a little easier for him that way."

Marie eventually agreed to talk to their father, but would not agree to an appeal. The hour visit was coming quickly to an end. "Kate," Marie said not able to look at her. "I don't want either you or Dad here for the execution. I don't want you to go through that. I'd like to have my body donated to science." She wiped away tears as she spoke. "Who knows, maybe they can analyze my brain and figure out what went wrong. Maybe they can keep someone else from doing the same thing."

The door behind Kate opened and an officer stepped in. "You have five minutes Ms. Warner." He warned Kate.

"I guess I have to go, Marie. I love you. I'm so sorry about everything." Kate stood to leave, her hand resting on her abdomen. The baby had moved very little while she was here, as if he knew the situation demanded her full attention.

"Kate," Marie called after her. "Why won't you marry Jack Bauer?"

"I don't know. I just haven't made up my mind yet, I guess."

"He loves you, Kate. I could tell."

"How could you tell?" Kate queried her.

"At my trial, the way he looked at you, I could tell. When he was on the stand testifying, sometimes he looked at the lawyer or the jury, but most of the time he was looking right at you. It was like he was trying to give you support and tell you how much he loved you all the way from the witness stand. That was when I really started hating myself. Reza loved me that way, I could see it in his eyes, and I killed him anyway. I should have realized how lucky I was and accepted his love and lived happily ever after." Again she wiped away tears. "Not everybody is lucky enough to find that kind of love, Kate. Don't let that slip away. I ruined my life, wasted it. You should go and live happily ever after. That's what I want for you."

The corrections officer now stood along side of Kate. "I'm sorry, you have to go now, Ms. Warner." He held the door for her. She stepped toward it, but kept looking back at Marie until she saw her stand and another officer handcuff her and escort her out. Kate closed her eyes for a second taking in the finality of the moment. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She walked silently to the parking lot where the limousine driver was waiting patiently for her. When he saw her, he jumped out and opened the door. She thanked him and dropped onto the back seat mentally exhausted from the ordeal.

**1:52pm**

The ride back to LA from the federal prison was torture for Kate. The magnificent scenery of the California coast, a view Kate had always marveled at, passed without her even caring. She called her father to let him know how the visit with Marie went. He seemed a little happier, more relaxed. At least Marie would let him visit again.

In the last three years, Marie had become someone Kate didn't even know. In a matter of hours, Marie had gone from being Kate's beloved little sister, who was about to be married in a fairy tale wedding, to being a murderer who was aiding terrorists. She had always been such a soft, sweet person. Her white-blond hair and constant giggling had made her an irresistible child. She didn't excel in academics the way Kate had, but she was an average student and had lots of friends. When Kate thought about it, though, Marie had always had a penchant for hanging around with the wrong people. Kate had often intervened and kept Marie away from the "bad kids" at school. Instead, she would let Marie hang out with her friends and do things with them or she would introduce her to "nicer" people.

Even though Marie was only a few years younger than she, Kate had never considered her to be "grown up". She was still a child in Kate's mind. That is, until she pointed the gun at her and threatened to kill her. Kate shuddered. She tried to tell herself that Marie would never have pulled the trigger, but the truth was, had Jack not shot her, Marie probably would have killed Kate.

When Kate first saw her today, she was shocked by how old Marie had become. Even at her trial she looked like a little girl. Now she was old. And the most amazing part was that she was telling Kate things that she should have already known. She was telling Kate that Jack loved her. Marie didn't really even know Jack. This was the man who had shot her and screamed at her in the hanger at Norton Airfield and testified against her at her trial. But Marie understood how much he loved Kate.

For the nearly two hour drive, Marie's words swirled in her head like a tornado: "He loves you, Kate", "You should go and live happily ever after", "Not everybody is lucky enough to find that kind of love". It wouldn't stop; over and over she heard the words.

They soon became a jumble with so many other voices. Now Michelle spoke to her, "sometimes you have to listen to your heart" and her father "I think he's very motivated to make a relationship work". Jack's voice was the clearest, "Kate, I love you. You don't have to say anything; I just want you to know how I feel."

She had the driver drop her off at UCLA Medical Center so she could see Jack. It took all of her self control not to run through the hospital door and through the lobby to the elevator. All she wanted was to see Jack. She wanted to see him so badly. She carefully controlled her breathing and her pace so she didn't look so frantic. It seemed to take forever to get to the12th floor.

Kate got off of the elevator at the 12th floor and rushed to Jack's room. She hoped he was there and not at therapy. She hoped he was alone. She didn't want to share him with Kim or Chase or Tony or anyone else right now. She knocked on the door but didn't wait for him to answer before entering.

She opened the door and found him sitting up in bed reading the newspaper. He wore a wine colored bathrobe over a hospital gown. The color was so rich against his light skin and hair. He looked up as she entered. "Hi, Sweetheart," he said and smiled.

"Oh, Jack," was all she could manage before dissolving into great heaving sobs. He reached for her as she climbed on the bed beside him. She curled into the same position she was in the day before when she fell asleep in his arms. Again Jack winced as she put pressure on his right side, but this time she was too upset to notice. He shifted slightly so he would be more comfortable. Kate buried her face in his neck and cried while Jack wrapped his arms around her. "Hold me, Jack. Please, hold me." She begged.

"I'm holding you, Sweetheart." He said softly as he kissed the top of her head.

"Hold me tighter. I can't feel you!" she sobbed. She could barely get her breath she was crying so hard.

"Honey, if I hold you much tighter, I'll crush you." Some stray hairs now wet with tears had plastered themselves against her cheek. Jack reached over and pushed them away and tucked them along with others that hung in her face behind her ear. "Kate, is this all about you seeing Marie today?"

Kate didn't answer; she didn't even hear him. "Jack, tell me you still love me. Tell me I haven't driven you away. Tell me you still want to be part of my life." Each sentence was punctuated repeatedly by sobs.

He lifted her face so he could look in her eyes. "I love you with all of my heart. I will never stop loving you. I don't think you could ever drive me away. Of course I want to be part of your life." He kissed her forehead. "Kate, take some deep breaths and try to relax. This isn't healthy for you or the baby." He could feel the baby, who was probably just responding to the adrenaline rushing through Kate's system, kicking furiously.

She nodded and tried to regain some control. Jack stroked her back and kissed her hair and whispered reassuring words as she began to calm down. Her sobs slowed and became less violent. After lying still for a while, Jack again lifted Kate's face. He smiled at her and wiped tears off of her cheeks. "Are you okay?" he asked tenderly.

Kate put her hand behind his head and pulled his face down to hers. She closed her eyes and began kissing him. Soon they were kissing passionately; mouths open and tongues probing. Gone were the friendly kisses where their lips barely brushed. They were replaced by deep, wet kisses shared by two people who desperately loved each other; two people who time and fate had separated and now brought back together. They both moaned softly. Jack held her face in his hands, caressing it gently; never wanting to let go. Kate ran her hands through his hair and across his back.

They both pulled away breathlessly as they heard a knock on the door. Kate slipped off the bed and straightened her ruffled hair. Her face was still red and puffy from crying. Jack's nurse entered and announced that it was time for him to go to physical therapy.

"Could this be postponed or could I just refuse to go right now?" he asked. He was looking at Kate and although she tried to look away from the nurse, it was obvious her that Kate had been crying. The nurse looked at Kate and wondered what their relationship was. Several of the nurses had talked and no one could figure it out. The nurses in the intensive care unit were pretty sure that the baby she was carrying was his. They knew the two weren't married; the next of kin listed on Jack's chart was his daughter. At times she appeared to be his girlfriend and she had spent countless hours with Jack and with his daughter when he was in intensive care. At other times they appeared to be little more than friends.

"They have a schedule they have to keep, so you can't really postpone." She told him. "You can refuse, if you like, but I'd hate to see you do that. You've been making so much progress, Mr. Bauer."

"Jack," Kate said, "you need to go to therapy. You have to get better. I need you to help me take care of the baby. I can't do it by myself. I thought I could, but I was wrong. I need you to be there, to help me."

He leaned over and kissed her. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Are you going to be alright? You can go back to your dad's if you like."

"I'll be fine. I'm hungry and there's a deli across the street that I like. I'll get something to eat and maybe stop at the newsstand and get a couple of magazines. I'll just come back here and wait for you then."

"I'll be looking forward to it." He said as he smiled at her.

Kate watched as the nurse helped Jack get out of bed. She gave him very little assistance as he steadied himself and took a wobbly step toward the wheel chair. "Soon you'll be running the hundred yard dash." She said as she wheeled him out of the room.

**4:05pm**

Jack was thrilled to get back in his room after almost two hours of physical therapy and find Kate waiting for him. He was exhausted and when his nurse offered to help him back in to bed, he would have loved to say yes, but he and Kate had so much to talk about.

Kate looked up from her book as he came through the door. She smiled the most genuine smile he had seen from her since she told him she was pregnant. All of her other smiles had seemed guarded as if she was afraid to really let herself be happy.

Jack thanked the nurse and took control of the wheelchair. He rolled it over so their knees were nearly touching. As the nurse left and closed the door behind them, Jack leaned toward Kate and took her face in his hands. He kissed her softly.

"I brought you a treat." She smiled like a little girl who was pleased with herself. "Here," she handed him a Styrofoam container from the deli. "It's your favorite."

He opened it to reveal a large piece of carrot cake. "Thank you, Sweetheart. That is my favorite." He leaned forward and kissed her again. "Are you going to help me eat it?"

Her eyes lit up. "I'd love to." She said as she picked up a plastic fork and some napkins from the table next to her. "Do you know what the best part of being pregnant is?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I can eat anything I want and no one thinks I'm getting fat. They just think the baby is growing."

Jack smiled as he put the fork into the cake and fed a piece of it to her. He hadn't seen her this animated since long before he broke up with her. The conversation waned as they ate the cake. Jack set the empty container on the table along with the fork and napkins.

"Sweetheart, tell me what happened here earlier. Yesterday you were upset that you had slept next to me for a couple of hours and today you're kissing me like we're lovers."

"Which one of those moods did you like better?" Kate asked smiling impishly.

"Well, if I get to choose, I'll take the second one." He smiled. "Kate, I'm serious. What's going on?"

"I've finally come to my senses, Jack. I want to be part of your life, if you'll still have me. I want us to be together, to raise our child together, maybe have more kids, I don't know." She was smiling, her eyes dancing in the late afternoon sun that came through the window. "Jack, I love you so much. I can't believe how I've been acting."

"Oh, Sweetheart," Jack whispered as he pulled her face to his. They kissed deeply. "From the moment I met you, this is all I ever wanted. Even when I was leaving you, I knew I'd never be happy without you. I pushed myself so hard for the last few months just trying to forget you and it didn't work." He paused to gather his thoughts. "This is all so sudden. I thought it was going to take months or even years to get you to trust me again. What changed?"

"Believe it or not, it was Marie. She told me that she could tell how much you loved me at her trial. Then she said I would be crazy to let a love like that slip away. I guess I finally realized that I was making a mistake." They sat and just stared at each other for a few minutes. Then Kate continued, "When I get back to Seattle on Monday, I'll start looking for someone to replace me there. Then, I can move back from Seattle and we can get a place here for the three of us."

"I thought you liked Seattle."

"I do, but you're here. I want to be with you, remember."

"So, what's stopping me from moving to Seattle? I don't have a job here anymore."

"You would do that?" She phrased it as a question. "But Kim is here. You've lived you whole life near LA."

"Kim has Chase now, and Angela. They're doing great. I'm sure they'll get married soon. Maybe I need a change. Maybe leaving Los Angeles would be a good thing for me, for us. We can really start over in Seattle. It certainly worked for Tony and Michelle."

Oh, God! She loved this man. "That would be wonderful. I think you'll like Seattle."

They talked late into the evening. They talked about the months that they had been apart. They had so much catching up to do. Jack told Kate all about his heroin addiction and his month in drug rehab. She knew the basics of the story, but he filled in details that horrified her. She couldn't believe he had hidden the addiction from her for the last six months that they lived together. Jack admitted that he was practically living a double life for much of the time he was with CTU. It was a relief to have that behind him.

Jack eventually got back into bed. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, but he didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to miss a minute with Kate. Kate climbed onto the bed beside him as she had done before.

"Kate, I have a favor to ask you." Jack said to her. "I know that I haven't been there for you for most of your pregnancy and I probably don't deserve any favors, but I'm going to ask. Feel free to say no."

"What is it, Jack?" She asked.

"I know you picked out a name for a baby boy, but I'd like to ask you to reconsider his middle name." He paused as if what he had to say next was not easy to say. "If George Mason hadn't flown the plane with the bomb on it for me, we never would have had a chance to have a relationship or a baby. I'd like to name the baby Robert Mason."

"Jack, I think that's a beautiful tribute. I like it."

After a long, slow good night kiss, she promised him she would be back in the morning and she would spend the whole day with him. The day after that was Sunday. She would see him for a few hours, but she was flying back to Seattle that afternoon so she could be back at work Monday morning. After that, she wasn't sure when she would get back to see him. She had missed so much work while he was sick that she was miles behind. Thanksgiving had been late this year, so Christmas was coming up in only three weeks. She assured him that they would talk on the phone every day and they would spend Christmas together. Neither of them knew how they would ever manage to wait the three weeks until Christmas. This was like revisiting their childhoods when Christmas always seemed a million years away.


	13. All That Glitters

_Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciated it. _

_Just a personal note to GraceC14 – Although Tony and Michelle will have a part in much of the rest of the story, they will not have a major role. If you are a big T/M fan, (no, I'm not above shameless self promotion) you may want to read my other fiction Escape to Argentina, which is all about T & M._

_Enjoy this chapter. I have the rest of the story outlined, but I probably won't get much chance to write for the next few days, so it may be a while before I update._

Chapter 13: All That Glitters

As expected, the three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas were like an eternity. Kate and Jack both kept busy during the day, but nights were long and quiet and lonely. About ten days after Kate returned to Seattle, Jack's doctors pronounced his internal injuries adequately healed for him to go to a rehabilitation center where they could concentrate on getting him walking and living independently again.

The facility that was chosen was considered the best in LA. It was somewhat of a novel concept. Patients essentially had their own studio apartments within the facility which included a private bath, living area and even a tiny kitchen. These were fully handicapped accessible so patients could begin learning to live on their own regardless of their disability.

Patients had hours and hours of physical and occupational therapy specially planned for each of them. Almost like a baby, Jack needed to learn again how to walk, but he also needed to regain strength. With this is mind he was scheduled for sessions of weight lifting and swimming in addition to the physical therapy. The challenge seemed daunting at first, but never in his life had he shrunk from a challenge and this one seemed more important than most. He had to get better for Kate and the baby. Kate was not going to have a helpless, needy partner. They would take care of the baby together; they would take care of each other.

Even for someone as focused and motivated as Jack, the first few days were unbearably frustrating. He hadn't worked this hard since his special forces training. He spent most of his day in some form of therapy or taking meals in a group with the other patients. When he would return to his own apartment at the end of the day, he was so tired he could barely function. Patients were pushed to do as much as they could on their own. Jack was expected to navigate the small apartment using either walker or wheelchair and be able to wash and dress himself. That all sounded simple when they explained it to him. After all, he thought, the apartment wasn't much bigger than the living room in my condo, but at times it seemed as wide as the Grand Canyon and as difficult to cross. Talking to Kate every evening helped. He made sure that none of the frustration came through in their conversations. He stressed how well he was doing and how pleased his therapists were with his progress. That was all true, but Jack was impatient.

The three weeks were equally busy for Kate. Not only was she still behind at work from the time she had spent in LA, but she was trying to anticipate some of the work that would be due in January and February and March, the months she would be on maternity leave, so that she could get some of that done ahead of time. She was working long days, including the weekends. At least the time was going quickly, she thought. She couldn't wait to see Jack. Christmas simply could not get here soon enough.

Kate arrived in Los Angeles on December 23rd ready for some time off and anxious to spend time with Jack. She was unhappy to find that much of her first few days in LA had already been planned for her. Kim and Chase expected Kate and Jack at their home for Christmas Eve and Bob expected the two of them for Christmas Day. Kate wondered if she and Jack would get to spend any time together.

**9:09pm December 25th **

Kate hated to admit it, but both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day had been wonderful. Kim and Chase were a beautiful couple and Chase's daughter, Angela was adorable. Christmas at her father's house had been equally nice. Several of Bob's friends and some family members were there for cocktails and a sit down dinner. Kate and Jack had both enjoyed themselves, but were tired and ready to spend some quality time together by the time they arrived at Jack's condo.

As a surprise to Kate, Jack had arranged two days away from rehab for Christmas and the day after so that he and Kate could be together. They were welcome to stay with Kate's father, but Bob Warner's big house on multiple levels was simply too hard for Jack to get around in, so they decided to stay at Jack's condo.

Jack turned on the light as the two entered the condo. Once inside with the door closed behind them, Jack pulled himself out of the wheelchair and stood with the help of his walker. He turned his body, supporting himself with one hand and reached for Kate with the other.

"Come here for a minute," he said to her. She smiled and went to him. Their arms slowly wrapped around each other and they kissed. "I have wanted to be alone with you for the last two days." Jack told her.

Kate laughed. "We're never really alone any more." She said looking down at her belly that protruded between them. "I can't wait until we don't have to kiss across a watermelon." She said wistfully.

Jack rubbed her abdomen. "No," he said with a tender look on his face. "Watermelons are cold and hard, but you, my dear, are warm and very soft." He kissed her again. He sensed that her constantly enlarging figure was making her insecure about how really beautiful she was. "You look so pretty today. Do you know that?" She smiled an embarrassed smile and averted her gaze. Kate did look pretty. She was dressed simply but elegantly in a white silk blouse and black velvet pants with a red silk Christmas scarf tied loosely around her neck.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" Jack asked.

"I was with you. What more could I want?" She said lovingly then kissed him again.

"Sweetheart, I don't know about you, but I am exhausted. How would you feel about just curling up in bed and snuggling for a while until we go to sleep?"

"That sounds great. My legs and feet are killing me."

They walked slowly back to his bedroom. Once there Kate dropped on the bed and kicked off her shoes. She propped pillows against the headboard and then leaned back on them. She pulled up her feet to massage them, but by then Jack was sitting on the edge of the bed and started doing it for her. Kate put her head back and closed her eyes clearly relishing his touch.

"Does that feel better?" He asked. Kate smiled and nodded without opening her eyes.

"Hey," he said gently, "before you fall asleep, I have something for you."

"We already exchanged presents, Jack." She laughed. "Now what do you have?"

"Just a little something I thought you might like." Kate sat up while Jack opened the bottom drawer of his nightstand to retrieve a box that he had instructed Kim to leave there.

"Oooh! You are so sweet! Those are my favorites." Kate cooed as Jack handed her a box of chocolates. The same kind he sent her in Seattle last month.

Jack sat down close to her on the bed. Kate pulled the ends of the gold ribbon that held the box closed. "I'm craving a butter cream." She giggled like a little girl. "Women who say they don't crave things while they're pregnant are lying." She proclaimed as she took the lid from the box and laid it down on the bed.

She looked into the box only to find that the four chocolates in the center had been removed and replaced with a black velvet, hinged box from a jewelry store. "What is this, Jack?" She asked as she picked it up and set the box of chocolates on the nightstand. She carefully opened the box to reveal a stunning round cut diamond with smaller round diamonds set on either side of it all in a thick platinum band. "Oh, Jack!" she breathed as she closed her eyes.

Jack took the box from her and removed the ring. His hands shook as he took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. Even in the low light of his bedroom, the diamonds sparkled. "Marry me, Kate." He whispered. It was a statement, not a question.

"Oh, Jack! It's beautiful." She reached over to kiss him. "Oh, Jack." She said again as the kiss broke.

"You don't have to answer right now. There is no statute of limitations on that offer. It will be there whenever you are ready."

"Oh Jack, I don't have to think about this. Of course I'll marry you. I love you so much." She leaned over to kiss him, gently at first, then more deeply. Jack ran his hands under Kate's blouse and onto the bare skin on her back. She groaned softly and caressed his face. They covered each other's faces and necks with kisses. Jack reached up and untied the scarf from Kate's neck and gently caressed her face with it letting her feel the slipperiness of the silk.

Kate let Jack take over. He laid Kate gently down on the pillows. He kissed her again, on the lips at first, teasing her with his tongue. He slowly worked his way down her neck and onto the top of her chest. He reached for the top button on her blouse. He held it between his fingers for a few seconds waiting to see if she would object. When she didn't, he unbuttoned it and lowered his head to kiss her. He pressed his mouth into her cleavage which had deepened considerably now that she was pregnant. Kate moaned and wrapped her arms around him. Jack opened the remaining buttons and pushed her blouse open. He began covering her bare skin with kisses and he ran the tip of his tongue along the lace edge of her bra. Now he moaned, unable to conceal his excitement.

"You sound like you're getting turned on." Kate said softly and sounding a bit surprised.

"Why wouldn't I be turned on?" He asked her as he kissed her neck again. "I've got a beautiful, sexy woman who I love with all of my heart, partially undressed on my bed. I'd have to be dead not to be turned on!" He smiled at her but could see the doubt in her eyes. "Kate, I didn't fall in love with you because you had a great figure. I fell in love with you because you are an incredible, loving, special person. Right now, you are as beautiful and desirable as I have ever seen you." He kissed her to emphasize his words.

"If that's the case, then maybe I should slip into something more comfortable." She teased him with a long kiss, her tongue forced deeply into his mouth.

He groaned. "That seems like a good idea." He told her. They both got off the bed and went to different bathrooms to get ready for bed.

Jack finished washing and changing into a clean pair of boxer shorts. He decided to put a Frank Sinatra CD in the stereo knowing that Kate found that very romantic. Then he slipped into bed while Kate was finishing up in the other bathroom. How can it possibly take women so long to get ready for bed, he wondered. While he waited he played with the lighting in the room. He didn't want it too bright, but Kate needed enough light to see when she came back from the bathroom in the hall. If Kate was self conscious about how she looked, Jack was equally self conscious about the surgical scars that now crisscrossed his body. I look like Frankenstein, he thought, like I was put together with spare parts. He usually wasn't vain, but the scars really bothered him, especially knowing that Kate had to see them. He thought about wearing a tee shirt to bed, but he never slept in a shirt and Kate knew that. She was going to see the scars eventually and it wasn't as if it was any kind of surprise, Kate knew what happened to him. He finally decided to go to bed bare-chested as he usually did.

Kate walked back in the bedroom wrapped in a white satin robe. "You have to promise me you won't laugh." She said looking very embarrassed.

"Laugh at what?" He asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"The lady at the maternity store talked me into maternity lingerie. I know, that's like an oxymoron. I'm as big as a house, I have no right to put on lingerie. But I did it anyway, so don't laugh."

"Kate," he said in a serious voice, "I already told you, you are beautiful and desirable and you are turning me on just sitting there. I love it that you did something as sweet as buying lingerie when you obviously weren't comfortable doing it. That just tells me how special you are."

Jack reached over and opened the tie on the robe then pushed it off of her shoulders. She wore a white satin tank top with a deep V-neck that revealed much of her cleavage and left a part of her abdomen uncovered above the waistband of the matching shorts. "Wow," he whispered as he moved closer to her. "Trust me, the lady in the maternity store was right." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

Jack turned off the light that he had been so concerned about and they slowly sank down under the covers overcome by their passions. They kissed and touched and caressed with hands and mouths and tongues. Jack pressed his face against Kate's belly and covered it with kisses. Kate explored the scars on Jack's chest and stomach and back softly tracing them with her fingers. At first he was horrified, but as she kissed them and ran her tongue along them he understood that she was just trying to tell him that it was okay. She wasn't concerned with the scars, she was just getting used to them.

After much foreplay, they undressed each other and searched for a comfortable position. As they found one, their bodies moved together and they became one. They made love slowly and tenderly, moaning softly until they were both satisfied. They lay still afterward, neither one of them wanting to move away. Neither of them wanting to go to sleep, but unable to fight it any longer, they drifted into a peaceful sleep.

**4:18 am**

Jack woke from a pleasant dream to find Kate getting back into bed. "Is everything okay?" He asked her.

"Oh, yeah. Just a bathroom trip. I make about three of them a night. I'm sorry, I tried not to disturb you."

"Don't worry about it." He said as he put his arm around her.

They were both lying on their left side. Kate pressed her back firmly against Jack's body. His arm was around her belly and their fingers were laced together. "Jack, it feels so good to be here with you. Tonight was incredible. I can't wait until we can spend every night together."

"I feel the same way. We'll be together soon, Honey." He tipped his head forward and kissed her hair. They were both quiet for a while but Jack eventually broke the silence.

"Kate?"

"Hmmm?" she answered sleepily.

"I've been thinking...I mean...I know this is sudden and all, but..." Jack was completely tongue tied. He sounded like the math geek in high school trying to ask the captain of the cheerleading squad to the homecoming dance.

Kate was awake now. She turned over to look at him. "What are you trying to say, Jack?"

"This is going to sound stupid. I know I just proposed to you, but I'm a little old fashioned, I guess..." He trailed off again. He finally took a deep breath and continued. "I'd like us to be married before the baby is born, before you go back to Seattle next week."

"Jack, are you kidding?" Kate asked as she sat up. "I'm going back to Seattle January 2nd. How can we possibly have a wedding between now and then?"

"That's just it, Kate. Why do we need a 'wedding'? All we need is a marriage license and a Justice of the Peace and two rings. I'm not talking a couple hundred people and a sit down dinner here. I'm talking us, your dad and Kim and lunch afterward. We can have some kind of reception in a couple of months if you like. Honey, think about it. We've been apart for too long and I know that's my fault, but I'd like to try and make it up to you. I've talked to my therapists and there is a good rehab hospital in Seattle. They looked into it for me and I could be transferred. That way we would both be in Seattle, maybe not in the same house for a while, but still we could see each other every few days and I could see the baby regularly. Kate, think about it."

Jack was very persuasive and the more he talked, the more Kate started to agree. They were both sitting up now and Kate was leaning against Jack's bare chest considering what he had to say.

"I guess we could go to the courthouse tomorrow and apply for a marriage license. I don't know how long it takes to get one."

"It's a 48 hour wait." He answered. "I already called to find out."

"How long have you been planning this, Jack?" Kate asked in an amused voice.

"Since the minute you left after Thanksgiving." He was clearly pleased with himself. "Kim took me out to get the ring and I had her plant it here for me in the candy box. I bought your wedding ring at the same time."

"You were pretty sure I would say 'yes', weren't you."

"I didn't know if you would say 'yes' initially, but I hoped that you would one day. Actually, it took you much less time than I thought it would. Once you said yes, I saw no point in waiting. We should have made it official years ago, Kate. I don't know why we didn't."

"Maybe it was better that we didn't. Maybe we appreciate each other more now." They kissed gently as if sealing the deal.

Kate started to laugh. "What are you laughing about?" Jack asked clearly amused by her.

"Us," she giggled. "A month ago I swore to myself that I would not go back to you. Now I'm in bed with you, engaged and talking about getting married in the next few days. The whole thing is just amazing. It all happened so fast, but I'm not sorry it did." She stopped laughing and became more serious. "Jack, I haven't been this happy since we first started dating. Promise me it won't end. Promise me we'll never be apart again."

"Sweetheart, I'm happy, too." He kissed her. "I promise you I will never leave you again. I love you so much."

They were both tired. They slipped under the covers and slept dreaming of their future together.


	14. Vows and Contractions

Chapter 14: Vows and Contractions

**8:15am December 31st **

Kate turned on her side, closed her eyes, clutched her pillow firmly and tried to breathe through the contraction. It didn't last long, but it was strong enough to raise beads of sweat on her forehead. That was the strongest one she'd had. She had been having contractions off and on for two days now and was quickly tiring of it.

She had become so concerned about it yesterday that she had called the doctor she had been seeing before she moved to Seattle and asked is she could see her. The doctor examined her and said the contractions were false labor. Based on her exam, Kate had another seven to ten days before the baby was born. She could be wrong of course, she told Kate, but all of the signs pointed to several more days before she would really be in labor. Until then, Kate should keep track of the contractions. If they became regular, she should call. Kate kept close track of the contractions and, although she had been having about three per hour, they were very irregular and generally mild. Most were so mild she barely noticed, a few, like this last one, took her breath away. Just wait another day, baby, she thought. Daddy and I are getting married today.

The last week had been a flurry of activity. Kate and Jack got up the day after Christmas and quickly began making plans for a wedding. Jack insisted that he talk to Bob and officially ask for Kate's hand in marriage. Kate found that romantic but silly. "What's he going to say, Jack? 'No, I prefer she doesn't marry you despite the fact that she's about to have your baby.'" Jack realized how ridiculous it sounded but explained that he had a daughter and hoped her fiancé, presumably Chase, would afford him the same courtesy.

They then went to talk to Kim, who was thrilled with this sudden development. Jack was pleased that his daughter was so accepting of Kate. He talked with her privately and gave her the wedding ring he had given Teri twenty years ago. She already had Teri's engagement ring which she often wore on a chain around her neck. Jack had kept the wedding ring in his dresser drawer since the day he buried his wife. Even while he lived with Kate, the ring sat in a box in his dresser where he would stop and look at it periodically. Now he was giving it to Kim, it wasn't fair to Kate for him to keep it any longer. He would never forget Teri or stop loving her, he told Kim, but he was entering a new chapter in his life.

After talking to Kim, they called the minister from Bob's church and asked him to perform the ceremony. He was available on New Year's Eve at 2pm so the time was set.

They hastily called the few friends and relatives that they hoped would share the day with them. There were 18 in all who would be attending. Kate had even convinced Grace and two others from her office in Seattle to fly down in the company jet for the event.

Finding a caterer on New Year's Eve, even during the afternoon, could prove to be difficult, but without their even asking, Tony's father volunteered to do the job. It was his wedding gift to them. Kate stopped at an elegant bakery and ordered a very non-traditional wedding cake, then went to the florist. She finally ended up at a maternity boutique on Rodeo Drive to find a suitable dress. Well, white is out of the question, she thought with some amusement. She ended up with a navy blue dress that fell from the shoulders. It had a large white collar and a red scarf at the base of the "V" neckline and pearl buttons from neckline to hem. It was conservative and understated and the dark color minimized her size which seemed to increase exponentially over the last couple of weeks, if only in Kate's mind.

Kate lay in bed fifteen minutes waiting for another contraction. None occurred and she could smell the warm aroma of coffee wafting up the stairs, so she decided it was time to get up.

Bob sat at the kitchen table trying to read his newspaper, Riley sat at his feet. His housekeeper, Rosita, had made a nice breakfast that he was currently having trouble eating. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, Kate's wedding should not be causing an attack of anxiety. All of the details were taken care of and he certainly approved of the marriage. If it had been up to him, Jack and Kate would have married years ago. No, this anxiety had nothing to do with Kate and Jack. It was all of the bad memories that these wedding plans had conjured up. Although this simple wedding could not be compared to the one that had been planned for Marie almost four years ago, he still could not help but think about the day his life changed forever. He sat at this same table drinking his coffee that morning, too. He watched with amusement as his daughters flitted around making last minute arrangements. He remembered wondering, not really caring, what the final bill for the wedding would be. He knew it was outrageous, but nothing was too much for his daughter, especially Marie. Marie wasn't like Kate, Marie needed to be coddled and taken care of, or so he thought. He still couldn't believe how that day came crashing down around him. He remembered Tony arriving to question Reza. He was so upset that the government would profile Reza and think he had any connection with terrorist activity. Of course, he had to admit, when Marie started dating him, Bob had Reza checked out by some contacts in the CIA. Little did he know that Reza was no threat to U.S. security, but his daughter was.

Bob looked up, his train of thought thankfully derailed, as Kate walked into the kitchen. She looked like she hadn't slept. "Good morning, Sweetheart." He said standing and pulling out a chair for her. "Sit, I'll get you some coffee." He walked to the counter and poured the coffee into a mug. "You look tired, Kate. Did you get any sleep?" He asked as he handed her the mug and the cream pitcher.

"Not much," Kate answered shrugging her shoulders. "I just couldn't get comfortable. It didn't matter what position. Then if I did by some chance find a comfortable position and drift off to sleep, I'd have a contraction and it would wake me up."

"Are the contractions still irregular?" Bob asked as he reached into the warm oven and pulled out the omelet that Rosita had made for her. Riley got up and moved closer to Kate. He knew she was a softie and would be likely to drop something on the floor for him.

"Yeah, about three an hour, but irregular. I had two within five minutes a little while ago and one of those was really bad, and I haven't had one since. It's been at least 20 minutes now." She looked at the huge omelet and wondered how Rosita thought she could possibly eat all of it. I'm eating for two, not five, she thought. "Hope you're hungry, Riley. I'll never eat all of this."

"Your mother was the same way. She had contractions for days before you were born. She looked about as miserable as you do." He smiled at the memory. "And she got through it, you will, too. "

"Yeah, but she wasn't planning a wedding at the same time." Kate said. "I know," Kate said without prompting, "that's my own fault. When Jack suggested getting married this quickly, all he wanted to do was go to the courthouse. I should have listened to him."

"Oh," Bob said as he refilled his coffee mug. "Jack called a little while ago. Chase and Tony are picking him up at 9 o'clock. They're taking him for a haircut and they should be here around 10. He wanted to make sure Kim had brought his suit over from his condo. I told him that she had. He said if you need them to pick anything up just to call him."

"I think all we need is the groom!" Kate said with some amusement in her voice. "You have a limo going to the airport to pick up the people from Seattle and Jack's sister-in-law from San Jose, right?"

"Taken care of" Bob answered. He watched as Kate's face clouded over and she grimaced slightly. "Contraction?"

The expression cleared several seconds later and Kate checked the time. "Yeah, not bad though. Almost a half hour since the last one." She ate a couple of mouthfuls of eggs before deciding that she was full. "I guess I better go upstairs and put some clothes on. My hair appointment is at 10:00 and I get a manicure and pedicure right after that." She laughed wryly. "I hope Jack appreciates the pedicure, because I can't even see my feet."

**1:45pm**

The guests had all arrived and were mingling on the patio. For December, it was a little warmer than usual with temperatures in the 70s and lots of warm sunshine. It was so nice, in fact, that Kate decided to take advantage of the good weather and have the wedding outside. Roving waiters carried glasses of champagne and trays of hors d'oeuvres around to the guests. A string quartet was playing quiet background music. Despite the circumstances and the small number of guests, the wedding had all the trappings of a high society event.

Jack was in a bedroom upstairs getting dressed. He had now tied the same tie four times, each time finding something he didn't like about the results. First it was too short, then too long, then the knot was crooked. By the fourth time, he wasn't sure what was wrong with it, it just didn't look right. "Son of a bitch," he said in frustration as he looked in the mirror. He untied it again and started over.

"Jack, calm down," Chase suggested. "It's a tie. You're not nervous are you?" He asked with a smile.

"No, I'm not nervous. I just want everything to be perfect. Kate's been through so much, she deserves to have everything go perfectly today." He straightened the tie and was finally satisfied with the results. "Okay, I might be a little nervous." He admitted.

Chase put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Jack, you love her, that's all that matters."

"I wish it were that simple." Jack sighed. "Chase, I've been down this path before, remember. A lot more than love goes into a successful marriage. I hope you realize that before you decide to marry my daughter." Jack looked sheepishly at the floor. "If love were all that mattered, Teri and I would have had the best marriage in history. Instead, we were two people who loved each other who could barely keep our marriage afloat. And that was my fault, not Teri's." He added quietly. "I just want to get it right this time."

Chase nodded not sure what to say. "Look at the time. I'll get Tony and we'll get you downstairs."

Chase and Tony helped Jack slowly descend the stairs then they joined the other guests on the patio. Jack stood in the living room, supported only by a cane, waiting anxiously for Kate to come down the stairs. If his therapists thought he had worked hard before Christmas, they were shocked at the amount of work he was willing to put in during this last week. He was determined that he would walk with a cane, not a walker, for their wedding. He got up early in the mornings to spend extra time in the weight room. Then, he swam laps until he thought he would grow gills. All of this to strengthen his legs to the point that he didn't need the support provided by the walker. He had pushed himself to the breaking point, but as he stood here waiting for his bride; he knew it was well worth it. He never wanted Kate to perceive him as helpless or needy. He had been that way in the hospital and he never wanted to be that way again.

"There," Michelle said as she fastened a strand of pearls around Kate's neck.

Kate sat at the vanity in her bedroom. She had just finished putting on her makeup and now her jewelry was taken care of as well. "Thanks," Kate said as she looked in the mirror. Her hair was pulled up in the back and on the sides with little wisps framing her face. Pearl and diamond earrings that had belonged to her mother hung from her ears. She stood up and walked over to the full length brass mirror. "Not exactly a traditional bride," Kate said looking at her profile in the mirror, "but it will have to do." She reached down and gripped the edge of the dresser as she felt another contraction start. She took a deep breath and tried not to let it show on her face but Michelle and Kim both noticed immediately.

"Are you okay?" Kim asked.

Kate closed her eyes and nodded trying hard to breathe through it.

"Do you need to sit down?" Michelle asked. They both wanted to find a way to make her feel better. "Kate, should you be calling the doctor? It seems like you've been having a lot of contractions."

"I'm still only having three or four an hour and they aren't regular. She told me this could go on for days." She smiled and put her hand on her belly. "This kid may want out, but he's going to have to wait a day. I've got something more important to do right now."

The three of them went downstairs. Michelle gave Kate a final hug and went out to the patio to sit beside Tony. Kim joined Bob Warner near the patio doors. Jack asked Bob to be his Best Man and Kate asked Kim to be her Maid of Honor. Bob offered Kim his arm and the two walked out and took their place next to the minister.

Kate met Jack in the living room. This was the first time she had seen him walk with only a cane. He took two slow but steady steps toward the stairs and held his arm out to her. She put her hand in the crook of his arm as they walked toward the patio. "Jack, I can't believe how well you're walking. You didn't tell me about this." She said pointing at the cane.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." He smiled and paused while he looked at her. "You look beautiful, Kate. You are absolutely radiant." Kate glowed with the compliment.

Everyone stood as the couple arrived on the patio. They were both smiling broadly as they stood before Reverend Alston. Bob had warned him to keep his remarks short and get right to the "I do's" since Kate wasn't feeling all that well and he wasn't sure how long Jack could stand.

The Reverend did as he was asked and in only a few minutes he had the couple saying their vows and exchanging rings. Jack felt Kate squeeze his hand at one point and knew she was having another contraction but she was careful not to let it show on her face. He was grateful to hear the minister say the words he had been waiting for. "...I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jack, you may kiss your bride." Jack reached out, took her face in his hands and pulled her to him. He kissed her softly with just the tip of his tongue slipping between her slightly parted lips. They turned to face their guests and were soon being congratulated by Bob and Kim, followed by everyone else.

The rest of the wedding went off without a hitch. After the ceremony the guests were seated at tables in the back yard where they were served an elegant five course meal. Each course was accompanied by the appropriate wine served by wine stewards. It could have been stuffy and overbearing, but instead the conversation was lively and everyone had a good time.

Kate continued to have contractions throughout the day but was pretty much able to hide it from most of the guests. For the most part, she was too excited to give the contractions much thought. She kept looking at her hand, at the platinum band that Jack had placed on her finger during the ceremony. It suddenly took on an importance that she hadn't imagined.

For a long time, she had considered getting married to be a mere formality. She thought of it in business terms. Marriage was like signing a contract rather than shaking hands, but she knew some of the best business deals were executed with no more formality than a handshake. She thought it would be nice for the baby's sake if she and Jack were married, but other than that, as long as they loved each other and were together, marriage seemed unimportant. During their long relationship, she had occasionally thought of marrying Jack, but only in the context of having children. Now, as she looked at her wedding ring and at Jack's, the marriage had already taken on a life of its own in her mind. She was no long Kate Warner; she was Kate Bauer. She had not intended to change her name, but it sounded so nice to her. It seemed ridiculous that a couple of rings, a minister and a license could make her feel so differently, but it did. She felt closer to Jack; a more important and integral part of his life.

Jack caught her staring at her ring and smiling. "Happy?" He asked her.

"I've never been happier in my life." She leaned forward to kiss him. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For insisting that we get married," she told him.

Jack looked confused. "I don't understand."

"I didn't think it mattered if we were married. I didn't think it would make a difference, but I was wrong. It does matter. I loved you so much before we got married, but now I love you even more. And the best part is, everyone knows it. All of these people are witnesses to how much we love each other. I don't know if I'm making sense, but a couple of hours ago, I was Kate Warner and now I'm Kate Bauer. I feel like a whole different person. I can't explain it, but I am so happy." She kissed him again. "Oh, Jack, I just want us always to be as happy as we are right now."

"Kathryn Elizabeth Bauer," he paused and held her hand for emphasis, he looked very serious. "I will do everything in my power to make sure that we are always this happy, that I never do anything that will make you unhappy."

Their serious moment was interrupted by one of the waiters. "Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Bauer." Kate smiled as he said it. "Would you like to cut the cake now?"

They went with him to the cake table and stood for the obligatory pictures as they cut the cake. Jack laughed when he realized that it was a carrot cake, his favorite. He fed Kate a dainty piece and she licked the cream cheese icing seductively from his fingers. He did the same to her. They kissed and laughed and both found themselves thankful that through all of the good and the bad that had happened to them over the last four years, that they had finally come to this place. A place filled with happiness and the promise of a life together along with the new life they had created.


	15. Happy New Life

Chapter 15: Happy New Life

**7:38pm**

The guests began leaving around 6:30. It was New Year's Eve, so some went home to celebrate, while others went to other parties. Two of Kate's friends from Seattle decided that they wanted to join the New Year's Eve celebration in downtown LA. Grace, who had quickly become friends with Bob, decided to spend the evening at his house.

Jack's sister-in-law, Carol, and her husband were flying back to San Jose. Bob had a limo standing by to take them to the airport. Jack stood with them in the entrance hall saying goodbye. "Carol, Tom," Jack said, "thank you so much for coming. This means a lot to me. I really appreciate getting your approval." Carol was Teri's only sister and Jack had maintained a close friendship with her and her husband since Teri's death. They were the only family members who didn't blame him for Teri's death.

"Jack, we're just pleased to see you so happy. I know the rest of the family doesn't believe you deserve any happiness, but Tom and I do. Teri is gone, Jack. There is nothing any of us can do about that. You need to live your life and be happy. I think moving to Seattle is a great way to start over." She hugged him. "Now you call us as soon as that baby is born. Okay?" Jack assured her that he would. "If it's okay with you and Kate, we'd like to visit you next summer. We've never been to Seattle and we've heard it's beautiful."

"We'd love to have you." Jack said as he shook hands with Tom and they got in the limousine to go.

Jack returned to the living room to find Kate, Bob, Tony, Michelle, Kim, Chase and Grace all lounging in chairs and on sofas scattered around the room. Everyone looked exhausted. Even Riley sensed how tired everyone was. A room full of people normally meant lots of hands to pet him, but instead of bothering anyone, he lay quietly next to Bob. Jack dropped onto the sofa next to Kate suddenly realizing how really tired he was. He took Kate's hand, brought it up to his lips and kissed it.

"Does anyone else need a cup of coffee as much as I do?" Kate asked.

"Rosita left fresh pots of both regular and decaf in the kitchen before she left." Bob answered as he started to get up. "I'll go pour some."

"No, sit, Dad" Kate told him. "I've been sitting so much today that my back is bothering me. I need to get up and stretch. Who else wants coffee?"

When everyone agreed that they too wanted coffee, Tony offered to help Kate. "I waited tables from ages 12 to 22. I only joined the Marines so I could stop waiting tables." He laughed. "It's my destiny."

Tony and Kate started through the dining room when Kate stopped and gripped the back of a chair with both hands. She didn't utter a sound but Tony could tell as she nearly doubled over and her knuckles turned white from gripping the chair that she was in a great deal of pain. He reached out and held her shoulders. "Do you need to sit?" He asked her.

"No," she whispered panting rapidly. "I'm okay now. What time is it?"

"7:38. Why? When was your last contraction?"

"About ten minutes ago. They're still pretty irregular, but they seem a little closer together."

They walked into the kitchen and Kate directed Tony to the cups, sugar, creamer and a tray. In the meantime, Kate poured regular coffee and decaf into separate carafes. Tony had his back to Kate when he heard her voice strain slightly as she asked him again for the time.

He turned quickly. Kate was gripping the counter top but didn't seem to be in as much pain as the last time. "7:42, four minutes, Kate" he answered her. "Not that I would claim to know anything about the subject, but shouldn't you get to the hospital?"

"That one wasn't very strong. Let's see how long until the next one." They finished getting the coffee together. Kate arranged a plate of cookies as well and added them to Tony's tray along with the two carafes. Tony lifted the tray to his shoulder like a well trained waiter. "See, I still have the old touch." He turned to smile at Kate only to see her face cloud over. Tony set the tray on the counter and grabbed the nearest chair. He helped Kate into it. She clutched his upper arms and doubled over. This time a quiet, guttural groan escaped from deep in her throat. Tony looked at his watch. "Kate, it's 7:46. That's another four minutes. You need to call your doctor"

Kate nodded as the contraction subsided. She sat for a moment getting her breath. "I need to tell Jack." She said as she stood with Tony's help.

They walked back into the living room. Jack had his head back against the sofa pillows and his eyes closed. Kate crossed the room and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, Sleepyhead. Wake up."

Jack opened his eyes with a start. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I didn't mean to fall asleep in front of everyone."

"Honey, we need to go to the hospital. I think we're about to have a baby."

With that, everyone in the room sat up. "I thought the doctor said another week." Jack said with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Well, I think she was wrong. Tony can verify it, I just had three contractions that were each four minutes apart and two of them were very strong. I'm going to call the doctor now, but I think she's going to tell me to go to the hospital."

Kim, Michelle and Grace all stood up and offered to help Kate get ready. "Do you have a bag packed?" Grace asked.

"No," Kate answered. "I need help with that and some help changing." The four women started toward the stairs. Kate stopped at the bottom and clung to the banister. This contraction was as bad as the last and again Kate could not control the cry of pain.

"Try to breathe, Honey," Grace told her. "It's worse when you hold your breath." Kate nodded but couldn't manage to draw a breath through all of the pain.

Tony instinctively looked at his watch. He grabbed Michelle's arm and turned her toward him. "That was only three minutes and ten seconds since the last one." He said quietly to her. "Do what you can to move this process along. She needs to go to the hospital."

Chase and Tony helped Jack up the stairs to change clothes while Bob went to get the car. Kate went to her bedroom and picked up her phone. She called her doctor's number and got her answering service. They told her the doctor would call her back soon. In the mean time, Grace found Kate's overnight bag in the closet and began filling it with essentials. Kim grabbed a pair of jeans and a white blouse out of the closet along with a pair of canvas sneakers and set them on the bed.

Kate sat on the bed and kicker her shoes off as the next contraction started. This one was longer and more painful than any of the previous contractions. This time it was Michelle who checked the time. Under three minutes, she thought nervously.

Jack's heart pounded as he heard his wife scream from the next room. He looked at Chase and Tony with a fear in his eyes that neither of them had ever seen before. They had both been through some life threatening situations with him and had seen a myriad of emotions from anger to frustration to grief, but neither of them had ever seen him display fear. "Get her to the hospital, now! Her contractions have gotten too close together; she needs to be at the hospital. You can get me there later. I'm just going to slow you down."

Bob had just come in the house from pulling the car around and was as the base of the stairs as Kate screamed. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear the sound. He hated knowing that his daughter was in so much pain and he couldn't help her. He suddenly had the same helpless feeling that he got when one of his daughters cried. Bob bounded up the steps to offer assistance and to let them know the car was ready. He met Tony in the hallway. "Jack wants you to get her to the hospital. Chase and I will follow with Jack." Bob agreed and knocked on Kate's door. Grace opened the door a little and slipped out. She agreed with Bob and said Kate would be ready in a minute.

The contraction subsided and Michelle helped Kate out of her dress. She put on the blouse just as the phone rang. It was the doctor who listened to Kate's description of the contractions and, as expected, told her to go straight to the hospital. Michelle was ready to help her with the jeans and shoes but Kate stood up. "I've got to go to the bathroom first." Michelle helped her into the attached bathroom, then stepped out and closed the door.

Grace zipped up the overnight bag and stepped into the hall to give it to Bob to put in the car. Kim followed her and walked down the hall to talk to Chase while Michelle stood near the bathroom in case Kate needed any help. Michelle could hear the water running as Kate washed her hands. She was about to get the jeans from the bed when she heard Kate gasp sharply and begin to groan. She knocked on the door but didn't wait for an answer to enter. Kate was doubled over the vanity, her face contorted in agony, a tortured scream coming from between clenched teeth.

Michelle ran to her as did Grace. Jack heard her and grabbed his cane. He moved as quickly as he could. He nearly fell, but Chase and Tony each took one of his arms to steady him. They got him into Kate's room just as Michelle and Grace helped Kate from the bathroom over to the bed.

Tears of pain and fear filled Kate's eyes. The last contraction had barely passed when the next one started. This one was equally long and painful. "I feel like I need to push." She gasped.

"Kate, listen to me." Grace implored as she dropped to her knees so she was looking up at Kate. "I know how hard this is but you have to try not to push."

"No, Grace, I can't. I have to push. I don't think I can stop it."

Grace stood and looked at Michelle. "Call an ambulance." She directed her quietly. Michelle picked up Kate's phone off the dresser and ran into the hallway.

Jack was sitting beside Kate on the bed now. She leaned into him as she was gripped by another contraction. He held her and tried to calm her. "Sweetheart, Michelle is calling an ambulance. Why don't you lie down and try to relax." He knew how utterly ludicrous he sounded. How could he possible expect her to relax? He could feel his heart pounding in his throat. His only experience with childbirth was twenty years ago and Teri had been in the hospital for hours before Kim was finally delivered via a cesarean section.

"Oh, Jack," she sobbed. "I can't stop this. I have to push."

Michelle stood in the hallway talking to the emergency dispatcher. "How long before they get here?" She asked.

"About ten minutes, ma'am.

"Michelle, how much longer until we get some help?" Jack shouted at her. He was in CTU mode and despite his fear quickly took charge of the situation.

"Ten minutes," she answered wishing it was less.

Kate was lying on her side. Jack knelt on the floor next to the bed. She held his hands tightly. "Sweetheart," he whispered gently. It was taking every bit of self control to keep his voice from shaking, "just ten more minutes, you can hang on ten minutes, right?"

Kate nodded, her eyes wide and scared. They were the same eyes that tugged at Jack's heart when he rescued her from Syed Ali's house three years ago. Jack didn't pray often, but at that moment he found himself praying that help would arrive soon, that Kate and the baby would be alright. "Jack, I'm scared." Kate whispered between contractions.

"I know, Baby. So am I. It's going to be okay. It has to be." He kissed her forehead.

The minutes passed like hours but eventually the sound of a siren in the distance was audible to everyone. Bob ran down the stairs as it neared to usher the medics into the house. He was worth millions of dollars and he would give every cent of it right now if somehow his daughter could be magically transported to a hospital where she could give birth in a sterile environment with doctors all around ensuring her safety and pain killers to make her comfortable. He knew that wasn't possible, so the medics coming toward his house would have to do.

Bob rushed them upstairs and into Kate's room. Aaron was the medic in charge. He was tall and broad shouldered and muscular. He wore closely cropped hair and carried himself in such a manner that Jack guessed that he was ex-military. His voice was loud and authoritative, his manner gruff. He made it clear that he was in charge and Jack was happy to abdicate that responsibility at the moment.

Aaron knelt down next to the bed and spoke gently to Kate. Gone was the gruff overtone. His voice was compassionate and soft. He put his hand on Kate's arm. "What's you name, Honey?"

"Kate," she whispered.

"Okay, Kate, I'm Aaron. I'm going to examine you and decide whether you can make it to the hospital or if it's best for the baby to be born here. I need you to hang in there for me. I know you're scared, I know you're in pain. I'm going to make this as comfortable as possible."

He slipped on gloves while Kate worked through another contraction, then he examined her. Aaron looked at his partner who was already taking Kate's vital signs. "Get on the line with Good Samaritan. Send them her vitals and get an IV line started. Tell them to stand by. We can't get her to the hospital."

"Kate," Aaron said to her. "You're going to have the baby here, probably in just a couple of minutes. You're doing fine, just keep it up."

"Can you get her something for pain?" Jack asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, not at this point. If it makes you feel any better though, it shouldn't be much longer."

**8:28pm**

Aaron was right. Just over five minutes later Kate pushed for the final time and within seconds the baby's first cries filled the room. "Congratulations," Aaron said as he cut the umbilical cord. "You have a son."

Jack pulled Kate into his arms and they kissed. "You were right! It's a boy!" He said in an emotional voice. They watched as Aaron cleaned the baby up and quickly examined him. He then wrapped him in a clean blanket and put him in Kate's arms.

She cried as she got her first good look at him. "Oh, Jack, he's beautiful. Look how blue his eyes are!"

Kim squeezed Jack's shoulder and kissed his cheek. "Congratulations, you two. I always wanted a baby brother! I just didn't think it would take me twenty years to get one."

Michelle was next to offer her congratulations. "Can I offer you some friendly advice?" Kate asked her with a smile.

"Of course," Michelle answered.

"After living through the last 45 minutes, I would suggest that you and Tony consider adopting!"

Michelle smiled. "After spending the last 45 minutes with you I would seriously consider it, but you are about two months too late."

"You're pregnant?" Kate and Jack asked at the same time.

Michelle nodded. "Maybe we'll have a boy, too. Then the two of them can grow up together."

Just after the baby was born Grace slipped out into the hallway to find Bob waiting anxiously. He heard the baby crying and heaved a sigh of relief. Now he just needed to know that Kate was alright. "Congratulations," Grace said. "You have a beautiful grandson!"

"And Kate's okay?" He asked.

"She's tired, but she made it through. I suspect by tomorrow she'll forget how much pain she was in." Grace obviously knew what she was talking about.

"Oh, thank God," Bob said as he hugged her. The hug surprised both of them, but it felt so natural. "When can I see them?"

As if in answer to his question, Michelle opened the bedroom door. "Bob, would you like to see Kate and your grandson?"

Bob burst past Michelle and through the door. Kate was sitting propped up in bed holding the baby. Jack sat next to her with one arm around her shoulders and the other arm helping her to support the baby. He moved so that Bob could get close to his daughter. Bob leaned over and kissed her then sat on the edge of the bed. His eyes filled with tears as he looked at his first grandchild.

"Would you like to hold him, Dad?" Kate asked him.

Bob took the newborn in his arms. He was so tiny and so perfect. Soon Tony and Chase had joined the crowd in Kate's bedroom and were admiring the little bundle who had caused so much commotion in the last hour. He was now sleeping quietly not knowing what a fuss everyone was making over him.

Tony put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "You got lucky, Buddy." He teased. "The baby got Kate's good looks!"

"And thank God for that!" Jack responded with a laugh.

"Seriously, congratulations," Tony said shaking Jack's hand. "Do you have a name for him?"

"Of course he has a name." Kate answered. She took him from her father and held him up so he was facing everyone. "Let me introduce you all to Mason Robert Bauer."

"Mason? Like George Mason?" Tony asked.

"I thought Mason was going to be his middle name." Jack said.

"After you brought it up Jack, I started really thinking about it. We owe George Mason everything. You were right, you wouldn't be alive and the baby wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. Naming the baby after him seemed like the least we could do."

"You know if George were here he would hate it, don't you?" Tony said with a smile.

"Yeah, I know." Jack said overcome by thoughts of his old nemesis who had, in the end, saved his life.

Kate and Mason were soon loaded onto the ambulance and on their way to the hospital followed closely by Bob and Jack. Jack rode in silence thinking about the last year. So much had changed. He started the year as an undercover government agent addicted to heroin, tortured by painful memories and guilt, unable to recognize what a special relationship he had with Kate. He almost lost it all. He threw Kate away like a used rag and drove himself mercilessly at work; his own personal crusade to rid the world of terrorists. He nearly died in the process. Kate saved him and he knew it. She saved him from himself. He twisted his brand new wedding band around his finger, not yet used to the feeling. Now she was his wife, and she had given him a son. Happy New Year, he thought. It's going to be a Happy New Year and a Happy New Life.

_Don't forget to review! Just two more chapters to go. _


	16. The Second Forty Years

Chapter 16: The Second Forty Years

Jack and Kate toasted the New Year with ginger ale and a kiss while snuggling with Mason in Kate's hospital bed. They both laughed as the baby yawned and squirmed then fell back to sleep. They were entranced with their new son. All of the pain and the fear of a few hours ago were forgotten. All that mattered was that they were together and they had a healthy child.

Bob Warner had gone home after spending some time with Kate. He knew she needed to rest and she needed to spend some time with Jack. He had teased Jack on the way to the hospital. "Gee, Jack, not every couple gets to spend their wedding night in the hospital. It sounds romantic to me!" Despite his teasing, he was keenly aware that the couple had not had any time to themselves and he was going to make sure that they got some, even if it was in the hospital. So he kissed Kate and Mason goodbye and shook Jack's hand and went home.

Giving Kate and Jack some space wasn't Bob's only motivation for heading home. Grace was at his house helping Kim and Michelle clean up. He had only met Grace that day, but found himself attracted to her in a way he hadn't felt since his wife died. He felt tongue tied when he tried to talk to her. He was amused at the fact that he was 65 years old and acting like a kid.

When he got home, Bob was happy to find that the clean up was finished and the others had gone home to their own New Year's Eve celebrations. Grace had changed into some casual clothes and was in the kitchen helping herself to a cup of tea. "So how are mother and baby?" She asked as Bob walked through the kitchen door.

"They're both fine, Grace." He smiled at her. "Thank you so much for being here. Kate really needed you."

"I'm glad I was here. I'm not sure I did all that much, but I'm glad I was here." She sipped her tea. "Oh, can I get you something to drink?"

Bob looked at his watch. "We've got a little over an hour until midnight, let's see what I have in here to celebrate with." He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of fine champagne. "How about this?" He said as he popped the cork.

They sat in the kitchen and drank champagne and talked. Bob found he was no longer tongue tied, he assumed that the champagne was helping a bit. He enjoyed his conversation with Grace. As midnight approached, they took the glasses out near the pool. The evening was cool, probably around 55 degrees, but clear and pleasant. They could hear the fireworks in the distance that marked LA's New Year's celebration. They toasted the New Year with champagne and a soft kiss.

Kate and Mason were discharged from the hospital less than 48 hours after his birth and they returned to Bob's house. Jack went back to rehab where he continued to work tirelessly to regain his strength and mobility. Kate and Mason visited him every day. Jack was sure he could see his new son growing and changing daily and he couldn't have been prouder.

On February 1st at 10pm, as planned, Marie Warner was executed. Bob and Kate respected her wishes and were not present. Jack and Tony, as the prosecution's key witnesses against her, were asked to attend and both did so reluctantly. Jack's presence made both Kate and Bob feel better, as though they had a representative there for them. The press had a field day when they found out that Jack was not only the key witness against Marie Warner, but also, now her brother-in-law and they hounded him mercilessly as he entered the prison.

Bob and Kate spent the emotional evening sitting in Bob's den waiting for Jack to call and say it was over. Kate held Mason and watched him sleep, refusing to put him in his crib. At the moment, he was her only link with reality, the only reason to put any hope in the future. She looked at his innocent face, so pink and chubby, and wondered how she would ever explain all of this to him. Jack finally called around 10:30. His voice was flat and emotionless as he reported that Marie was dead. Kate knew how hard this was for Jack. He was very torn. On one hand, he nearly died because of this woman and some of his colleagues did die; there was no doubt in his mind that the punishment was just. On the other hand, Marie was Kate's sister, Bob's daughter; these two people loved her and would grieve for her when she was gone. It saddened him to see two people he loved in such pain.

Jack eventually arrived at Bob's house after midnight. Bob and Kate were still waiting up for him. He convinced them that they all needed to go to bed even if they didn't get much sleep. When Kate finally got into bed with him after feeding Mason, she broke down and began to cry. Jack held her much of the night just listening to her cry. There was nothing he could say or do to make the situation any better, so he just held her.

Kate and Jack, along with their new son, moved to Seattle eight weeks after his birth. Moving days are trying under the best of circumstances, but moving with an eight week old and a husband who was still not doing everything for himself had exhausted Kate. She was tired, but so happy to finally be home with Jack. In bed together, in our own home, she thought happily. Jack was sitting up in bed reading when Kate finished in the bathroom, checked Mason for the tenth time and got into bed beside him. Neither said a word as Kate turned off the light and they moved toward each other. In the eight weeks that they had been married, other than the night Marie was executed, this was the first night they had shared a bed. They sat in the center of the bed kissing and caressing, undressing each other, both moaning uncontrollably. Jack laid Kate down kissing her body tenderly. As he stroked the inside of her thighs, he could feel her raise her pelvis, silently letting him know how much she wanted him. He continued to stroke her, teasing her. He felt her hand slide down his chest and abdomen, past the scars that no longer mattered to him. All that mattered was that she loved him and they were here together. He groaned as she took him in her hand and began to stroke him. The feeling was overwhelming to the point that it took his breath away. He took his hands off of her and lay back on the pillows. Now Kate sat up and began kissing him and rubbing her body against his while she continued to stroke him. He lay on the bed limp and moaning until he could take no more. He reached up and pulled her down to him. They kissed deeply and at the same time, Jack rolled her over. Slowly he climbed on top of her and eased himself inside of her as they both groaned. Their need for each other was so great, they immediately picked up a fast rhythm which they maintained until they were both spent. They lay in bed, both smiling in the darkness. On a cold night in Seattle, their bodies were damp with sweat, the room perfumed with the musky sent of their love.

They settled in quickly. Jack continued in rehab in Seattle but had made enough progress that he could live at home and go to the facility during the day for therapy. He could now walk well with only a cane and could make the stairs with some difficulty. They expected that within the next six months he would no longer need the cane.

Kate went back to work in April. She hired a housekeeper who also watched Mason while Jack was in therapy, but when he was home, Jack was reveling in being a stay-at-home dad. On nice days he put Mason in the stroller and took him to the park or sometimes they would drive into the city and meet Kate for lunch. Everyone was amazed at the change in Jack. He was not the same person who ran CTU with an intensity that was sometimes frightening. He had become warm and gentle, a side of him that only a few had ever seen. When Kate told him all those months ago that maybe it was good that he could no longer run he had been terribly hurt by her words. Now he understood what she meant. His slower pace, in all aspects of life, allowed him to see and enjoy his world as he never had before.

Jack still had a number of contacts from his CTU days. He received a call one day from an official at a midsized regional airport near Seattle. The man found out from a mutual friend that Jack was in Seattle and he wanted to know if Jack would be interested in reviewing the airport's security protocols. Jack initially turned him down, but the man persisted and was willing to pay Jack a large consulting fee. Jack and Kate certainly didn't need the money, but this seemed an interesting diversion. It was something he could do at home while Mason slept or after Kate got home in the evening, so he eventually agreed. It didn't take long for word to spread that Jack was available for security consulting. He was inundated with calls and, although he enjoyed the work, he was determined to spend as much time with his son as possible, so he agreed to only the local jobs and he carefully guarded his time with his son and wife. He was just about to turn down a major consulting job offer at the international airport in San Francisco when he thought about Tony. Tony was still working with the software company and claimed to enjoy it, but Jack thought his talents were being wasted. He asked the housekeeper to watch Mason, something he rarely did, and called Tony. Let's meet for lunch, he said. I've got a proposal for you.

They met and Jack outlined the proposal. He easily was getting enough offers to employ Tony full time and himself part time and still ensure a good salary. Jack would take the local jobs, that would leave Tony the better paying big jobs that sometimes required overnight travel. Tony wasn't sure at first. He admitted that he was sometimes bored in his current job, but the pay was great and so were the hours. Michelle was bringing in some money with her new business, but, as even she admitted, not enough to pay the mortgage. When he considered that their first child was due in the next few days and Michelle would not be working at all for a while, he wasn't sure he wanted to chance it.

Jack understood but offered to get Tony more information and work up the hard numbers. Tony agreed that he would talk with Michelle. That night, Jack told Kate about his discussion with Tony. She went to her desk and pulled out a calculator and some ledger paper. Then she asked Jack some questions and started jotting down figures. Before long Jack was showing her contracts he had been offered and payments he had received. Until that moment Kate really hadn't paid much attention to the work Jack was doing or what he was being paid. The truth was that she liked that he had something to do other than take care of himself and the baby. She was afraid that being a house husband and full time daddy would lose its appeal after a while. He enjoyed the work and she didn't care how much he was being paid because they didn't need the money. Now she realized how lucrative this business could be. A half hour later she looked up from her calculations somewhat surprised.

"Jack, when I annualize these figures for you working twenty to thirty hours a week and Tony working forty to forty-eight hours, you guys could gross almost half a million dollars a year. Even when you deduct expenses like mileage, travel, some marketing fees, a small office and a secretary, Tony would probably bring home $200,000 a year. Obviously there are no guarantees, but I can't believe my calculations are off by a lot." She stopped to think for a second. "Call Tony and Michelle and invite them over for dinner this weekend. We can talk about it. I can sweeten the pot a little and that may convince him."

"Sweeten the pot? How?"

"Well, Warner Enterprises owns some office space that was recently vacated, so I was planning to rent it out. I can give it to you guys for a while so that all you are covering are the taxes and utilities. I can't do that forever, we have stockholders that will eventually complain, but I can do it for the first six months. And, if the business fails, which I don't think it will, I will guarantee Tony a job with Warner Enterprises. I can always use his computer skills. It may not be exactly the job he wants, but it will tide him over until he finds what he is looking for."

Jack showed the proposal to Tony over dinner that weekend. He and Michelle agreed that this was too big an opportunity to pass up. Jack and Tony would meet Monday with a lawyer and draw up a contract. As they sat in Kate and Jack's living room eating dessert that night, they had no idea that meeting would mark the start of a 25 year partnership; one that lasted until they both decided it was time to retire. After a couple of years, they had so much business that they needed to take on a partner. They offered the position to Chase, but he declined.

Chase was moving up through the ranks of Division and District. He and Kim were married a year and a half after Jack and Kate and settled south of LA. Neither of them liked the weather in Seattle and decided that they would stay where they were. They added to their family when Kim gave birth to a daughter, Theresa Marie, named in memory of Teri. Neither Jack nor Kim could bear to call her 'Teri' so she was nicknamed 'Tess' instead. They had a son three years later who they named Jackson Chase.

Just a few days after Jack and Tony signed their business contract, Tony and Michelle had their first child; a son they named Ricardo Antonio. Ric and Mason grew up together as best friends only seven months apart in age. The two looked like polar opposites. Ric had Tony's dark complexion, eyes and hair while Mason was blond and blue eyed and fair skinned. Ric was joined less than two years later by a baby sister, Lucia Ann, who everyone called Lucy. Tony and Michelle completed their family with a second daughter, Carmen Michelle, who was three years younger than Lucy.

For the first few months after Kate and Jack moved to Seattle, Bob Warner shuttled back and forth regularly between Los Angeles and Seattle. He found he was only happy when he was with his family in Seattle. He enjoyed spending time with Kate and Jack and Mason, who had his grandfather wrapped around his tiny finger. Los Angeles had become a grim reminder of all of the sadness in his life. It was filled with memories of his late wife and Marie and all of her horrible crimes. Additionally, he had started dating Grace, which made Kate enormously happy. After several months of commuting between the cities, Bob moved to Seattle and transferred the headquarters of Warner Enterprises there as well. He and Grace were married the next New Year's Eve; one year to the day after they had met.

Bob and Grace bought a large condominium in Seattle where they spent their week days. The weekends were spent at a house on Puget Sound that they always referred to as "the cottage." The cottage was a six bedroom ranch style house that fronted the water and had its own pier where Bob could keep his boat. It was the perfect place for everyone to get together. Grace had three children and seven grandchildren, they, along with Kate and Jack and Mason, were at the cottage frequently. Weekends and holidays often saw the blended family, which regularly included the Almeidas, (since they didn't have family nearby) celebrating together.

By the time Mason was a year old, Jack and Kate were already talking about having another child. A second son, Ryan David, was born a little more than two years after Mason. This baby was named for Ryan Chappelle and former President David Palmer. Jack and the former President remained friends and kept in touch. Palmer's health had deteriorated after he left office. The after effects of the assassination attempt and the emotional trauma he had suffered from the murder of his ex-wife and the ensuing legal investigation, in which brother was found guilty of obstructing a police investigation, all played a part in his decline. Sherry's role in the death of Allen Milliken was never discovered but David was always plagued with guilt for lying to protect her. In truth, had he not lied, she probably would have been in police custody that morning and would not have been killed by Julia Milliken.

The boys grew up happy and fun-loving. Mason had Jack's impetuous streak, but a business sense that clearly came from the Warner side of the family. Kate and Jack both missed him when he left for college in Chicago. He was majoring in business but had a freshman English class with a pretty computer science major named Laura Wilhelm. The two dated throughout their college years and decided to marry soon after graduation. Mason had been accepted at the prestigious Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania, so the young couple moved there. Once Mason finished his MBA, they moved to Seattle and he began working for Warner Enterprises where Kate had succeeded her father as the CEO following his retirement at age 72.

Bob and Grace enjoyed their retirement. They spent time traveling and keeping up with grandchildren. Bob died following a brief illness when he was 85. Grace, who was six years younger than Bob, lived less than three years following his death. She had now been widowed twice. The first time she was forced to go on because she had children to raise. This time, it seemed that the life had been taken out of her once Bob was gone. She simply lost all will to live. He had made her incredibly happy in the twenty years they spent together and she was never able to reconcile herself with his passing. Grace retreated into her own world and eventually died quietly at the cottage, the place she loved most in the world.

Ryan left for college shortly after his grandfather died. He was a quiet, studious young man that reminded everyone of Kate. He went to Stanford and majored in economics, just like his mother. He eventually expanded his major to include education. He loved teaching and was soon enrolled in graduate school to get a Ph.D. in economics. After graduation, he got a position as an assistant professor at a small college in Washington State. By then, Mason was CEO of Warner Enterprises and begged his younger brother to come on board with him. Ryan refused; he loved teaching too much he said, maybe someday, but not now.

Holidays were always special for the Bauer family. Ryan was home for Christmas, just shy of his 29th birthday. He celebrated at the cottage with his parents and his brother and sister-in-law, who now had two children, a son Justin and a daughter Katie. Kim and Chase were there with their children who were now grown and had families of their own. Somehow everyone always ended up at the cottage for at least one holiday every year. Included in the mix were Grace's family, although she was gone now, and the Almeidas. It was there that Ryan seemed to notice Carmen Almeida for the first time. He had known her since she was born, but she was always just Ric and Lucy's kid sister. Ryan and Lucy were the same age and Lucy was a tomboy who took pride in her ability to keep up with Ric, Mason and Ryan. Carmen was quiet, like Michelle, with pretty brown curls and dark eyes. She always played on her own with lots of dolls and girl things. Ryan could honestly say he never paid any attention to her.

After the party broke up and everyone had gone, Ryan sat with his father and brother and Chase having a beer. Kate walked in and looked around the room. She eyed Ryan and casually said, "You and Carmen certainly looked like you were enjoying yourselves."

Ryan smiled, "We had a nice conversation. I didn't know that she is teaching high school Spanish and History. She looks great. I didn't remember her being that pretty."

"Ry, are you living on Mars?" Mason hooted. "Carmen Almeida has been gorgeous all of her life."

Jack was laughing, too. "Tony used to sit on the porch and clean his gun when all of the interested boys came over to see her. He started with a handgun and eventually moved up to a shotgun. I thought he was going to have to buy and assault rifle. I told him once he had the cleanest guns in the country. Half the boys in your high school were interested in her. You never noticed?"

"She was a freshman when I was a senior, Dad. I wasn't particularly interested in the freshman girls." Ryan said sheepishly. "I wonder what she's doing New Year's Eve."

"Well, if you are interested, you better call her soon. That's less than a week away. A girl likes a little notice." Jack teased him.

"Yeah, like getting engaged on Christmas and getting married New Year's Eve." Ryan needled right back.

"Something like that." Jack laughed.

Ryan called Carmen who was more than happy to spend New Year's Eve with him. They started dating steadily and were married a year and a half later. They settled down near the college where Ryan taught about two hours outside of Seattle. Eventually Mason wore him down. Ryan and Carmen moved back to Seattle and Ryan became Chief Financial Officer at Warner Enterprises while teaching part time at a college in the city.

When Jack turned 80, Kate had a huge party at the cottage. All of their friends and family were there. Everyone told their favorite Jack stories and Tony had the crowd nearly doubled over with laughter as he recounted some of Jack's CTU antics. CTU was a subject that Jack, Tony and Michelle rarely broached, they had too many bad memories, but that night Tony regaled everyone with some of the more light hearted moments.

Later, Jack lay in bed with Kate in his arms as he had for the last forty years. He liked this part of the day best. Kate always fell asleep quickly which allowed Jack to spend a few minutes before he fell asleep just watching her, feeling her warm breath on his bare chest, enjoying the soft pressure of her body against his. He often kissed the top of her head as he thanked God for letting him be a part of her life. Tonight as he lay with his sleeping wife, he began to compare the first forty years of his life with the second forty. What an amazing contrast. To begin with, for most of the first forty years, he never thought he would live to see the second forty.

Jack's first forty years were marked by an unhappy childhood. A sensitive child of unloving, alcoholic parents, he quickly developed a hard shell to fend off the hurt. He told himself he didn't need love but that was far from the truth. His teenaged marriage to Teri was evidence that he wanted love more than anything. He was an impetuous 19 year old college student and she a rebellious 18 year old looking to free herself from her parents rule when they ran off and got married. Jack was an English major with dreams of being a college professor but those dreams were derailed when they had a child. If Jack wanted to finish college he would have to join the army to help pay for it. That was the only way they could make ends meet. He got his degree but was committed to the army for four years. He could reduce that to three years if he volunteered for the Special Forces and he did so gladly.

He spent most of the three years deployed in hot spots around the world rarely seeing his young wife and daughter. He came home a different person. His outer shell hardened even more by what he had seen. Teri noticed the difference. He still loved her and Kim, but had even more difficulty accepting their love than he had before. After his actions in the Special Forces, he was sure he no longer deserved to be loved, that his parents were right. He joined the LAPD and enrolled in a master's degree program in criminology. It was his vain attempt to provide some justice in an unjust world. He worked days and went to school at night, spending little time with his family. He had to give Teri credit. She stuck by him through it all. She even took him back after asking him to leave. Then she was suddenly gone, dead. He didn't know how he would go on. He limped along, barely functional until he met Kate. She saved him but he didn't realize what she meant to him until he pushed her away, still believing he neither needed nor deserved love. It wasn't until he was critically wounded and lay near death in the intensive care unit that he realized how much he longed to be loved. He wanted Kate's love and his daughter's love. He just wanted to be loved.

He often credited the terrorist who shot him with giving him his life back. Instead of being instruments of death, the three bullets that nearly ripped him apart became seeds of a new life. He was reborn as the surgeons put him back together in the operating room.

Soon he had Kate back in his life and they had a family. Jack Bauer had finally gotten off the carousel. It no longer took him around and around. It had stopped and he had stepped off. He no longer ran in circles immersing himself in work trying to avoid relationships. He treasured his wife and children and enjoyed his friends and eventually his grandchildren. He kissed the top of Kate's head, thankful for all she had given him, thankful for the chance to have the second forty years.


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue

The cold October wind stung Kate's face. She stood against the rail on their cabin cruiser as it made its way quietly through the choppy waters of Puget Sound cradling the urn tenderly in her arms, with the same care she had held her sons when they were babies. Mason was at the helm piloting the boat effortlessly as Jack had taught him. Ryan was at her side; his arm around her waist, steadying her. Kim stood next to her looking off into the horizon. None of them spoke. Jack's English Springer Spaniel, Ranger, lay near them on the deck.

So much had happened in a week. Her entire life changed, turned upside down. Forty-two years of marriage had ended so abruptly, like scissors snipping a piece of thin ribbon; a long, perfect ribbon now severed. Everywhere she looked, she could see him. On the boat in the captain's chair, in their den, on the patio, at the cottage, in bed next to her, he was everywhere.

So much had changed in a week, even the weather. They had gotten out of bed last Saturday, the last day of September, to an unusually warm morning. She could still hear his voice. "It's going to be a beautiful day. Let's go out on the boat." He said.

"I can't, Sweetheart, Michelle and I are taking Carmen out for lunch for her birthday. Tony and Ryan are probably both free, call them."

Tony was more than happy to go out for the day. They would fish, drink a little beer. The Mariners were playing the Cubs in a day game; they could probably listen to it on the radio. After all these years, Tony was still a Cubs fan. Jack would pick him up around noon.

Before Jack had time to call Ryan, Mason called. He had the same idea. Laura and their daughters Katie and Jackie were going shopping and he and their son, Justin were planning a boy's day out. Jack invited them along.

Next Jack called Ryan to invite him and his eight year old twin sons, John and Anthony. They were glad to join them. Ryan would also call his brother-in-law, Ric and see if he also wanted to come along. This was shaping up to be a fun afternoon.

Jack called his favorite deli and ordered a tray of sandwiches. He would pick it up on the way to get Tony. He would also pick up sodas and a cold case of beer. "Don't make dinner, Sweetheart." He told Kate. "Call all of the girls and have them come over. I'll cook what we catch."

"What if you don't catch anything?" Kate teased him.

"Well, then I'll stop and buy salmon on the way home." He retorted. He kissed her and told her he loved her. He slowly made his way to the car relying heavily on his cane. Jack opened the back door and his dog Ranger jumped. There go my boys, Kate thought as she watched them go, always ready for an adventure.

Jack was now 82, and Kate still found him handsome and youthful in so many ways. He was having more and more difficulty walking though. That was the hardest thing for him. For many years after he was shot he walked largely unassisted but with a distinct limp. He always regretted that he couldn't play soccer or touch football or go skiing with his boys, but he was at every sporting event and coached their little league teams. They rode horses together and he taught them all about boating. He had always used a cane when they were in public places. It helped steady him if he was jostled. Now he used the cane around the house as well, and when they were out in public, he used a wheelchair. It was just easier that way. His difficulty in walking was one reason he loved the boat so much. He could sit in his captain's chair and steer or sit near the stern and fish. He didn't have to do a lot of walking. When he did have to walk, there were railings everywhere for him to steady himself.

It seemed to Kate that everything that happened after Jack left the house that morning was a blur. She called all "the girls" as Jack had directed and invited them for dinner. She and Michelle and Carmen went out for lunch and then came home to get ready for the dinner that Jack promised she didn't have to cook. Just in case the fish weren't biting today, Kate would make sure they had plenty of salad and bread and vegetables to go with the main course. She might even throw a couple of burgers on the grill. They figured the men would be home around 7 o'clock so they planned for a late dinner. In the mean time, they always had plenty to talk about.

It was about 5:30 when Michelle's phone rang. Tony didn't even say hello, she knew immediately by the sound of his voice that something was wrong. He was near tears. She hadn't remembered him crying since his mother died twenty years ago.

"Are you with Kate?" was all he asked.

"Yes, Honey, she's right here. Why? Tony, what's wrong? Where are you?" Kate's ears had perked up by now. A look of concern crossed her face.

"We're on our way to St. Michael's Hospital up in Edmunds. You need to meet us there."

"Tony, what's going on? Why are you going to the hospital?" Michelle was starting to panic.

"It's Jack, they think he had a heart attack. Just get here, Michelle." He pleaded.

Tony rarely panicked, his Marines training and CTU experience kept him on an even keel even in an emergency. Right now, his voice sounded ominous. Jack wasn't okay, she could tell. "We'll be there, Tony. It'll take us about a half hour. We'll leave right now."

Michelle's face was ashen as she turned to Kate. "Kate," she said as she touched Kate's hand, "Jack may have had a heart attack. He's being transported to the hospital in Edmunds. We need to go."

"Is he going to be okay? Did Tony say how bad it was?" Kate was stunned, her breathing rapid and shallow.

"Tony doesn't know anything right now." It was only a partial lie.

The drive to the hospital was like an eternity. Kate and Michelle were reminded of the flight to LA when Jack was shot. Kate tried to call both Mason and Ryan, but their phones went right to voice mail. She finally got a hold of Laura who was also on her way to the hospital. Laura had talked to Mason and had a few more details, but not many. It sounded like Jack had collapsed on the boat. Mason put out a distress call and the Harbor Master directed him to the nearest marina where they could dock the boat and emergency crews could land a helicopter to take Jack to the closest medical facility.

As they reached the hospital, Mason was waiting for Kate right outside of the emergency room doors. He rushed over to the car, opened the door and helped her out. "Mason, what's going on? Where's your father? What happened? What has the doctor said?" She peppered him with questions as he put his arm around her and led her inside to a waiting area. Ryan and Tony sat in the waiting room with Justin, John and Anthony. Ric had offered to pilot the boat back to their pier at the cottage and take care of Jack's dog.

"We don't know much yet, Mom. The doctors are with him right now. They're doing everything they can." Mason's tone was not encouraging.

"He was fine when he left home. What happened?" She was starting to fall apart now. Looking at the hopeless expressions on all of their faces, the gravity of the situation was becoming more and more evident.

Mason started, "He was fine for most of the trip. He looked good, he was in good spirits. We got to the place he likes to fish and we anchored. We all dropped our lines and ate lunch. He ate well, had a beer. Everything was fine. I noticed that he coughed several times along the way; nothing serious, just a little unusual for him. Then he got up to check on something. When he stood up, I noticed he was having trouble with balance, but that's not all that unusual for Dad. Ryan stood right up to help him and he reached for the railing, but the next thing we knew he was on the deck." Mason shook his head as if he was having trouble continuing.

Ryan took over. "I was right there when he fell. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't. When I got to him, I knew something was wrong. His color was bad and he was unconscious. I checked for a pulse and couldn't find one. Then I realized that he wasn't breathing either. Ric and I started CPR right away. Mason put out a distress call. They directed us to the marina and when we got there the medics were waiting. They worked on him for a while on the boat, then they put him on the helicopter and brought him here."

"Has anyone called Kim?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I had Laura call her." Mason answered. "I've already called one of our company's pilots. They're communicating with her. They'll get her here as soon as possible." As CEO, his call to a pilot would have sent them immediately into motion, much as his grandfather's call had done 42 years ago when Jack was shot.

"Oh, God" Kate whispered. She looked back and forth between her sons. She could see Jack in both of them. "We can't...we can't lose him. I'm not ready to lose him. Oh, God, this can't be happening!" Kate covered her face with her hands and doubled over in the chair. She wasn't really crying, but her agony was palpable. Mason pulled her to him, tears making wet paths from his eyes down his face. He hadn't let himself show any emotion until now. Ryan was sitting on the arm of the chair; he leaned forward and put his arms around both of them.

Within a few minutes of her arrival, a doctor came into the waiting room to talk to her. He was kind and soft spoken. He looked like a doctor should look, Kate thought. His hair was gray and cut short. He wore glasses with a thin silver wire frame that couldn't hide green eyes full of sadness. "Mrs. Bauer?" He asked as he walked into the room. Kate looked up expectantly. She was flanked by her sons whose hands she gripped tightly.

He walked over to her and pulled up a chair. The chair was so close their knees nearly touched. He spoke slowly and Kate hung on his every word. "Mrs. Bauer, my team and I have been working on your husband for a while now. He had a very serious heart attack. It damaged a large portion of his heart." Kate could feel tears slipping silently down her face. The doctor continued, "Right now, he's breathing on his own, but not well enough to survive very long. We can put him on a ventilator to keep him breathing if you like. We can also keep his heart beating with medications. I can't tell you for sure that he will improve enough to start breathing on his own at some point. It's possible, but there are no guarantees. One thing I can tell you is that if he starts breathing on his own and he lives, he will have severe heart failure. He will be very limited in his activity, maybe walking a few steps at a time before he is exhausted. He will require oxygen 24 hours a day or he will feel short of breath even at rest. He will also be on a number of drugs to maintain his heart. All of this is being complicated by the fact that he has only one kidney and that kidney is beginning to show signs of failure. We can start kidney dialysis to maintain the kidney if we have to." He stopped for a moment to let his words sink in.

"His kidney function has been deteriorating for the last couple of years. His doctor has been watching it. Jack always said that if it came down to dialysis, he didn't want to do it." Kate said numbly.

"Mrs. Bauer, my team will do whatever you ask us to do. We can keep him alive and transfer him to intensive care or we can do nothing more and let him go peacefully. You, your children, or whoever you like, can be there with him to the end. I hate to put this decision on your shoulders, but I have no choice. I'm sorry to do this to you."

"You think I should let him die, don't you?" Kate asked.

"No, I think you should do what you think is best for your husband. I know that sounds as if I am talking around the issue, but it's the best I can do. I have no right to make this decision."

Kate looked at her sons. "I've seen him in intensive care and on a ventilator before, it's not a sight I want to see again but I don't want him to die." She put her face in her hands again.

"Mom," Ryan spoke softly to her, "Dad loves his independence. I think he would be pretty unhappy not to be able to go and do what he wants." Ryan shook his head. "That's not Dad."

Kate looked at Mason. "Ryan's right. I love Dad, I don't want him to die. But I don't want to see him suffer in an intensive care unit only to have a poor quality of life when we finally get him home. And even with all of the extraordinary measures, he might still die, right doctor?"

The doctor nodded.

"Is he awake, doctor?" Kate asked.

"No, he hasn't regained consciousness. He may wake up for short periods of time. I can't say for sure. If it makes you feel better, he isn't in any pain."

"Without life support, how long will he live?"

"It's hard to say. At least a few hours, maybe as long as a day." He answered her patiently.

Kate looked away and blinked back tears. "What will the end be like? Will he know what is happening?"

"No, he will probably just drift off. His breathing will slow and eventually stop. He won't know what is going on. If his breathing becomes labored or uncomfortable, we can give him something to relax him."

Laura was talking quietly on the phone as she approached the group huddled around the doctor. "Mom, Kim is on the phone."

Kate took the phone. "Honey, are you on your way?"

"We'll be at the airport in about a half hour. The pilot said he'd be ready to go soon after we get there. How's Dad doing? What Laura is saying doesn't sound good."

"Oh, Honey, I don't know what to say. The doctor is here with us right now. Would you like to talk to him?" Kim indicated that she would and Kate handed the phone to the doctor. He patiently explained again everything that he had already told the family then returned the phone to Kate.

"Kate, I know this is your decision, but I just want to let you know that I don't think Dad would want to be kept alive only to be barely able to get out of bed in the morning. He's 82, Kate. He has had an incredible life. I want to remember him that way."

"We all feel the same way, Honey." Kate replied softly as tears filled her eyes. "Oh, Kim, I'm not ready for this."

"I know, Kate. Just try and hang in there. We'll be there soon."

They said goodbye and Kate returned the phone to Laura. Then she turned her attention to the doctor. She straightened a little and took a breath. She felt as if she was at a board of directors meeting; all eyes in the room were on her. As the _de facto_ head of this gathering, she had to give her decision as she had at Warner Enterprises for all the years after she succeeded her father as CEO, but this decision was more important than any other that she had ever made. "I... we don't want him on life support, Doctor. He lived a life most people only fanaticize about and I'm not going to watch it end with machines breathing for him. That's not how Jack Bauer is supposed to die." She paused. "When can we see him?"

"You and your children can see him in the emergency room right now if you want. Then we'll have him moved to a private room upstairs. At that point, you can all be with him, stay with him as long as you like." He took her hands gently. "Mrs. Bauer, if it makes you feel any better. You made the right decision."

"Thank you, Doctor. I want to see him now." Kate told him.

"Of course," he said softly. He put his hand between her shoulder blades and directed her into the emergency room. Mason and Ryan followed silently.

Kate and her sons entered the room to find Jack lying peacefully in the bed. His eyes were closed and his face partially covered by an oxygen mask. "Can I take this off?" Kate asked as she touched the mask. "I'd like to kiss him."

The nurse, who was flitting and fussing around Jack, was obviously annoyed that the family was getting in the way of her work. "He needs that oxygen to breathe." She said with little compassion in her voice.

The doctor touched her arm to silence her. "Mrs. Bauer, he breathes more comfortably with the oxygen on, but you can take it off to kiss him. When we move him upstairs, I'll have them take the mask off and give him oxygen directly into his nose." He looked at the nurse. "Let's let the family have some time here while we arrange a private room upstairs." He directed her out of the room.

Kate lifted the oxygen mask off of Jack's face and kissed him gently. She replaced the mask and took his hand. "Hi Sweetie," she said as her voice cracked. "Jack, I'm here with you now, Honey. The boys are here, too." The two boys both spoke to him, Ryan held his hand. "Kim is on her way, Honey. She'll be here in a couple of hours."

Kate continued to talk to him telling him how much she loved him and reminding him how good their life together had been. She hoped for some response. She hoped he would squeeze her hand or open his eyes, but he just continued to sleep peacefully.

The nurse finally came in and told them that they were ready to transfer him to a room. Kate and her sons went back to the waiting room to get the rest of the family. Everyone stood to move upstairs. They all knew they had a long sleepless night ahead of them. Even Jack's grandchildren understood what was happening. John and Anthony wouldn't let go of Tony for fear something would happen to him as well.

Tony and Michelle approached Kate. "Kate," Tony said as he put his arms around her. "We know this is for the family, but we'd like to see Jack for a few minutes, if that's okay with you."

"Oh, Tony," she said, her eyes threatening to overflow with tears. "You are family. You've known Jack longer than I have. I want you two to be here with us. Don't go, please."

"It's going to be a long night, Kate. We thought it might be best if we took all of the kids back to our house." Michelle explained but she was greeted by a chorus of protests from the children.

"No, Grandma. We're not leaving." John announced. Anthony was standing next to him nodding.

Fourteen year old Justin spoke for all of them. "Grandma, we all understand what's happening, even the twins and they're only eight. We don't want to leave Grandpa. We want to be able to say goodbye to him. I don't want to get up tomorrow and be told that he's gone and know I didn't get to say goodbye. Please let us stay."

Kate hugged her oldest grandchild. "You guys all feel the same way?" They all nodded.

Michelle broke in, "If at any point any of you wants to leave, we're more than happy to take you home. Just say the word." The children all agreed but remained steadfast that they were staying.

The group moved to the private room where Jack had been transferred. They took turns sitting next to him and talking to him. Ric picked up Kim and her family at the airport and brought them to the hospital. The mood wasn't sad and there were few tears. Good memories were shared and Jack's life was celebrated quietly by the people who loved him the most. It was well after midnight when everyone started to settle back for the long night. Tony and Michelle sat close together on a sofa. Anthony slept across their laps with his head on Tony's chest. Katie and Jackie snuggled close to their mother and John curled up in Carmen's lap. Mason kept vigil sitting at the foot of his father's bed, his son Justin never more than a few feet away. Kim pulled a chair close to the head of the bed and stroked Jack's hair. Chase stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. Ryan stood close to Kate who sat next to the bed, holding Jack's hand unable to take her eyes off of him. So many memories crossed her mind, so many loving moments, so many kisses and so many nights filled with love. She knew how fortunate she had been. She didn't know how she would live without him.

Jack died quietly the next morning. He had regained consciousness a couple of times during the night. Kate was dozing in a chair next to the bed when she felt him weakly squeeze her hand. She woke and moved to sit next to him on the bed.

He smiled slightly at her. "Hi, Honey," he whispered.

She smiled at him and stroked his face. "Hey, Sweetie," she replied trying to keep her voice steady. "How do you feel?"

"I'm tired, Kate."

"I know, Sweetheart. It's okay, you go to sleep, My Love. We'll be here for you if you need us." Kate said as tears filled her eyes.

"I love you, Kate" Jack said in a voice that was barely audible.

"I love you, too, Sweetheart." Kate said as her voice cracked and tears fell. Exhausted, she lay down next to him, feeling his warmth and the ebb and flow of his breathing.

A few feet away, Michelle pressed her face into Tony's chest sobbing silently. She was overwhelmed by the sadness of the moment as she watched Kate lying with Jack. The fear of losing her beloved Tony caught hold of her as if it would strangle her and she felt for a moment that she couldn't even breathe.

Kate eventually fell asleep against Jack. Ryan got a blanket and covered her. As the sun rose, Kate awakened and laid silently watching Jack's chest rise and fall. His breathing became slower and slower and more and more shallow until he simply did not take another breath. Kate counted the seconds that grew into minutes. Everyone was sitting up straight or standing, watching, hoping for Jack to take another breath. Kate finally closed her eyes and kissed his face.

The memorial service a week later was brief and moving. The little church just a few miles from the cottage that they attended nearly every Sunday was filled with friends and family all mourning the loss of a man they felt privileged to have known and loved. The immediate family then boarded the boat to take Jack's ashes to one of his favorite places as was his wish.

When Mason reached Jack's favorite fishing spot, Kate, Kim, Mason and Ryan all put a hand on the urn containing his ashes and turned it over. The ashes were picked up by the wind and dropped onto the surface of the water. They watched in silence as the ashes disappeared into the steely water. It was Kate who finally looked at Mason and said, "It's time to go home." Mason smiled at her and took his place in the captain's chair.

They returned to the cottage where the extended family waited. Everyone had dinner together and said their goodbyes. Kim and her family left to return to LA. Tony and Michelle were taking their daughter Lucy to the airport. She lived in Portland, Oregon with her husband and children and had come home to say goodbye to "Uncle Jack." Jack had been like a second father to all of the Almeida children and they would miss him almost as much as his own children.

Kate and Mason stood outside after saying goodbye to the last of the guests. Kate shivered against the wind. "It's cold out here, Mom. Let's go inside." Mason said as he reached for her arm.

"No, you go in. I need a couple of minutes by myself."

"Are you sure?" He asked. Kate nodded. "Okay, I'll be up at the house." He turned and walked away. Kate watched him; he was built exactly like Jack. Not real tall, but square and solid. If she didn't know better, she could have been watching Jack. His gait was just like Jack's had been before he was shot; each step measured and sure. She sighed and turned toward the water.

Gulls soared overhead riding on the strong autumn breeze, their white feathers contrasted with the gunmetal grey sky. They reminded her of Jack, free and independent. Jack could soar now, too. He was no longer encumbered by legs that didn't work like he wanted them to. I hope wherever you are, Jack, that you are running, she thought. He had been a long distance runner in high school and he always loved to run. For the last 42 years he had to be satisfied with riding a stationary bike or swimming for exercise. Now he could run again; that made Kate smile.

She looked out at the water. The two of them had spent so much time together at this cottage in the years since the boys had moved out and started lives and families of their own. They had walked on this beach, holding hands, kissing, watching the sunset. They had even made love here. Now she felt completely alone. The finality of it all hit her as they scattered his ashes over the water and watched the current wash them away.

Kate had kept her emotions closely in check throughout the week, but the façade was beginning to crumble. She felt the tears finally bubble to the surface and she suddenly felt an anger that had not been there earlier.

"Damn you, Jack!" She said out loud as she stomped a foot into the sand. Tears fell uncontrollably now. "DAMN YOU, JACK!" She screamed her hands clenched into fists and drawn up to her chest as if she was going to punch someone. She shouted it again, "Damn you, Jack! How could you do this to me?" She dropped to her knees in the sand crying her heart out, sobs wracking her entire body. She pounded the sand with her fists as she continued to curse the only man she had ever really loved.

Laura was in the kitchen cleaning up when she glanced through the window to the beach and caught sight of Kate. "Oh, no, Mason," she said as she grabbed his arm and pointed at the window. Mason took off running. When he reached Kate, he fell to his knees in the sand next to her and pulled her into his arms. She continued flailing, hitting his chest with her open palms.

"Goddamn him! Goddamn him, Mason. He promised me he would never leave me. He promised. How could he leave me like this? How could he do this to me?" She had stopped flailing, but continued to sob. "I love him. I love him so much!"

"I know, Mom. I know you love him. He knew it, too." He spoke gently, knowing there was nothing he could say or do to take away her pain. He could only hold her and let her know how much she was loved. Eventually her tears ran out and her sobs subsided and she rested limply in her son's arms.

The air was cold and Mason could feel her shiver. He took off his suit jacket and put it around her shoulders. It reminded her of the day she met Jack and he put his CTU jacket around her outside of Syed Ali's house after he saved her life. "Let's go back to the house, Mom." He helped her up and she didn't resist. She didn't have the strength to resist.

They had taken several steps toward the house, Mason's supportive arm around her shoulders, when he stopped and turned toward her. "Mom, there is something I've wanted to say to you for a long time. I'm not sure why I waited so long." Kate had a quizzical look on her face, but said nothing. "I want to thank you."

"Thank me for what, Mason?"

"For giving Dad a second chance." He paused. "Dad and I were standing here on the beach years ago. Laura and I were dating at the time and I was thinking about ending our relationship. I thought it was getting too serious and we were young, I wasn't ready for that. I told Dad I was going to break up with her. He look at me with that half squint he would get when he was really thinking hard about something and he said, 'Mase, you need to do what's right for you, but let me just give you something to think about. Basically, you know the story, I broke up with your mother once. What you don't know is how reluctant she was to take me back. I had hurt her so much that she saw afraid to give me another chance. I don't think she would have taken me back if she hadn't been pregnant with you. So before you break up with Laura, just be sure that you never want her back, because she might never be willing to take you back again.' Then he looked out at the water and said 'Look at what I almost lost. I don't know where I'd be right now without your mother.' It made me think. Obviously I didn't break up with Laura. But more than that, it made me appreciate you. If you hadn't given Dad another chance, my life would have been completely different. I know you would have been a good mother regardless, but you never would have had Ryan, I wouldn't have grown up as close to Dad. You and Dad were such a great example for me. You taught me how a marriage is supposed to work, how to love, how to compromise. You giving Dad a second chance was the greatest gift you could have given me and I just want to thank you."

Her face was red and puffy from crying, but she smiled at him. "You're welcome, it was my pleasure." She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as they walked back to the house.

_Thanks to all of you who have read the entire story. I really had fun writing it. I had the idea for this piece but was hesitant to write it for a couple of reasons. First off, Kate was not my favorite character and it seemed that most people felt the same way. Second, any Jack relationship seemed doomed to failure. I couldn't imagine him suddenly becoming an attentive father and husband while he was at CTU. It was easy enough to have him leave CTU, but his whole attitude still had to change, which was why he had to be shot. (One reviewer asked why it was necessary for Jack to get hurt and speculated that it had something to do with the author's maternal instinct. In this case, Jack had to be hurt in order to reevaluate his life.) By the time I was finished, I found that I liked Kate a whole lot more than when I started out and I thought it was possible to make their relationship a success._

_So thanks again for reading and to those of you who reviewed. Your reviews have been great and have really encouraged me. If you haven't reviewed, please, please, please, PLEASE click the submit review button and let me know that you have read the story. (I accept anonymous reviews.) _


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